After she was suspended from the party for not toeing its line on the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) MLA from Patheria Ramabai Parihar has withdrawn her statement supporting it.
Claiming that the media had distorted her statement made at a public function on Saturday, Ms. Parihar told reporters, “Parents don’t abandon their children for mistakes. And I am like Behenji’s child and will always follow her ideology.”
Party chief Mayawati had announced the suspension on Twitter on Sunday, but has not declared the restoration of membership yet.
Speaking in the presence of Union Minister Prahlad Patel at the event, Ms. Parihar congratulated Prime Minister Narendra Modi on enacting the contentious law and said, “It is a decision which should have been taken much before. I and my family support the CAA.”
While the BSP voted against the ‘unconstitutional’ law in Parliament and had submitted a memorandum to the President requesting its roll back, the MLA had spoken out of turn and violated the party discipline, said Ms. Mayawati. “She has been banned from taking part in party events,” the former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister had said. “In the past too she has been warned to toe the party line.”
The BJP jumped in to support the beleaguered MLA. “On the one hand Mayawati has suspended the MLA and on the other she has called the protest of Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi a drama. Doesn’t the doublespeak smack of the pretence of animosity the Congress and the BSP are trying to put up against each other?” asked Lokendra Parashar, State BJP media chief.
