Mayawati had decided to resign from the Rajya Sabha after being interrupted in her specch, which led to her accusing the government of stilfing her voice and saying she could not adequately represent her demographic. PTI file photo.
Vice President Hamid Ansari on Thursday accepted the resignation of BSP chief Mayawati after she handed over a fresh letter. The 61-year-old leader had submitted her resignation from the Upper House on Tuesday, accusing the BJP and the Chair of not allowing her to raise the issue of anti-Dalit violence in Uttar Pradesh. However, her three-page resignation was rejected as it was not in the required format.
Brief with no reasons
As per the required format, the resignation should be brief and must not mention reasons. Mayawati’s resignation was accepted after she spoke to the vice president, who is also the chairman of the House, and submitted a fresh letter in the prescribed format.
An official from the Rajya Sabha secretariat said she tendered a handwritten one-line letter. The sudden resignation of the BSP supremo, whose term in the Rajya Sabha was to end in April next year, is seen as an attempt to consolidate the Dalit base and re-establish herself as the sole leader of the community, after her party’s defeat in the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections earlier this year.