Mayawati presents handwritten resignation, Hamid Ansari accepts note

The Rajya Sabha chairman on Thursday accepted the resignation of BSP supremo Mayawati.

PTI photo

New Delhi: Rajya Sabha chairman Hamid Ansari on Thursday accepted the resignation of Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) supremo Mayawati. 

The development comes two days after she stormed out of the Parliament alleging she was not allowed to speak in the House. 

Her resignation was accepted by the Rajya Sabha chairman after she re-submitted the documents in a prescribed format.

Earlier, there were reports that the former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister's resignation from the Rajya Sabha may not be accepted since it does not follow a prescribed format.

Mayawati had given a three-page resignation letter to Ansari which officials say may not be accepted because members quitting Parliament are expected to submit their resignation in a simple format and without conditions.

On Tuesday, Mayawati had resigned from the Rajya Sabha in protest against not being allowed to raise the issue of atrocities against Dalits in the House.

Mayawati had walked out of the House after being told to conclude her speech in three minutes on UP's Saharanpur violence that took place some time back.

After the incident, Mayawati said that she would resign as there was no point to be a member when she was not allowed to speak.

"I will resign from Rajya Sabha today," a visibly anguished Mayawati shot back when Deputy Chairman PJ Kurien asked her to wrap up her speech as she had exceeded the three minutes given to her to make her submission, as per PTI.

Mayawati, whose term in the Upper House is until April next year, argued with Kurien saying how can she be prevented from raising the issue about her 'samaj' (community) and the Dalits. "I have not finished. You cannot do this."

"I have no moral right to be in the House if I am not allowed to put across my views on atrocities being committed against Dalits," she said.

Satish Chandra Misra of the BSP told PTI that the entire Treasury bench had been instructed to stand when Mayawati stood up to speak in the House.

"They did not allow her to speak. She spoke for 2 minutes and nine seconds in breaks and would have even finished in 3 minutes," Misra said.

The BSP has five more members in the Rajya Sabha. Mayawati, 61, lost power in Uttar Pradesh in 2012 and her party was routed in this year's assembly elections, winning 19 seats in the 402-member House.