Akash Anand has been completely freed from the party, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati announced on Thursday, shortly after her nephew’s father-in-law and former Rajya Sabha member Ashok Siddharth announced his retirement from politics.

She questioned whether Anand, whose personal and family interests she said appeared to outweigh his political career and the party’s interests, could effectively work for the BSP while remaining “double-minded”.