The ongoing family feud in the Apna Dal turned murkier when party national president Krishna Patel expelled her daughter and Mirzapur MP Anupriya Patel from the party for her anti-party activities, while the daughter claimed her mother does not have the right to expel her.
Earlier in October last, Krishna Patel had removed Anupriya from the post of national general secretary on charges of “indiscipline and unconstitutional acts”. Krishna Patel, told reporters here on Thursday that her daughter Anupriya Patel along with eight of her supporters have been expelled from the party for anti- party activities. “They were warned time and again and were asked to mend their ways but they did not listen to the voice of workers. With heavy heart we took this trong decision,” she said.
What infuriated Apna dal chief was the way Anupriya had put a padlock on the party office here in the state capital. Krishna Patel broke the lock and took control of the office.
Krishna Patel said the ambitions of Anupriya and her husband Ashish Kumar Singh has brought both the family and the Apna Dal at a crossroads. The Apna Dal president said that Anupriya had crossed her limits and now she was bent upon to damage the party formed by her late husband.
Meanwhile Anupriya Patel has challenged her expulsion claiming that her mother do not have to power to do so. She said that her mother is acting on the directive of some people who are determined to weaken the party. The rift in the family came open in last October when the party president alleged that due to personal ambitions of Anupriya and her husband Ashish Kumar Singh, party workers who have been with the Apna Dal for almost two decades are being ignored.
“As soon as she became an MlA (in 2012), she started behaving as dictator. She designated herself as chief general secretary, instead of general secretary, which led to a feeling of insecurity among other general secretaries,” Krishna said.
Anupriya won the election from Mirzapur lok Sabha seat in alliance with BJP. Unfortunately Krishna lost Rohaniya seat, vacated by Anupriya in bye-election. Krishna alleged that Anupriya wanted her husband Ashish Kumar Singh to contest from Rohania seat and she was instrumental in her defeat.