Naseemuddin Siddiqui Joins Congress: Mayawati Will Not Be Angry, Says Ghulam Nabi Azad

Former senior Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) leader, and a close confidante of Mayawati, Naseemuddin Siddiqui joined the Indian National Congress yesterday (22 February) in New Delhi. On this occasstion, Congress leaders Raj Babbar and Ghulam Nabi Azad were present.

Siddiqui, who was seen as the ‘Muslim face’ of the BSP was expelled from the party, along with his son, for ‘anti-party’ activities, last year in May. In a press conference he had held then, Siddiqui had blamed Mayawati for the BSP’s poor performance in Uttar Pradesh assembly elections, and had alleged that she had made objectionable comments against Muslims.

From 2007 to 2012, Siddiqui was part of Mayawati’s cabinet and was seen amongst the most powerful people in Uttar Pradesh.

What is bad news for Mayawati is that was not just Siddiqui who went over to the Congress. According to this PTI report, apart from Siddiqui, “19 former MLAs and MLCs and 43 office-bearers of the Mayawati-led BSP joined the Congress”.

However, what remains to be seen is what Siddiqui adds to the Congress in Uttar Pradesh. In the run up to last year’s assembly elections, he was appointed as in-charge of the BSP in UP. When the votes were counted, the BSP could only manage 19 out of the total 403 seats in the state assembly.

When Congress was asked if yesterday’s events would upset Mayawati, Ghulam Nabi Azad replied that she had no reason to be upset since she herself had expelled Siddiqui and others.