Shaista Parveen had joined the BSP in the presence of its senior leaders on January 5.
Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) leader Uma Shankar Singh on Sunday said Shaista Parveen, the wife of gangster-politician Atiq Ahmad, is still in the party and has not been expelled from it.
Speaking to reporters here, Singh -- the lone BSP MLA in the 403-member UP Legislative Assembly -- said, "Shaista Parveen, wife of Atiq Ahmad, is still in the party. She has not been expelled from the party. She is not occupying any post in the party. If she is convicted, she will be expelled from the party. She is yet to be convicted. The party is sympathetic towards her."
To a question that the BSP has been termed as BJP's “B-Team” by Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, he said, "Akhilesh Yadav does not have any issue except defaming the BSP.” On April 10, BSP chief Mayawati had said her party will not field gangster Ahmad's wife Parveen or any other member of his family in the mayoral election in Prayagraj.
Parveen had joined the BSP in the presence of its senior leaders on January 5, and was reportedly being considered as the party's mayoral candidate for Prayagraj.
The urban local body elections will be held in the state on May 4 and 11.
“As far as Shaista Parveen is concerned, I would like to make it clear that as per the facts emerging from media reports regarding the Umesh Pal murder case, as soon as the name of Atiq's wife emerged and after she has gone underground, the situation has changed," Mayawati had told reporters.
“In this scenario, our party will now not give the mayoral ticket to Atiq's wife, nor to any member of his family," she had said.
The BSP chief had also said, "As far as the question of keeping Atiq's wife in the party is concerned, a decision will be taken soon from the facts that emerge after she lands in the police net." On March 13, BSP leader Uma Shankar Singh, who is also the Leader of the party in the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly, had come out in support of Parveen, saying the police's cash reward for information on her is an attempt “to divert attention” from its failure in solving the Umesh Pal murder case.
The Rasra MLA had said, "Shaista Parveen has no relation, even remotely, with the murder case. Even the police have not been able to prove it. She is a social person." “Shaista Parveen is all set to become the mayor of Prayagraj and the BJP is going to lose the seat. This is the (reason) behind the BJP's fury," Singh had said, and stressed that BSP chief Mayawati has already announced that action will be taken against Parveen if the allegations against her are proven.
"We still stand by that. If the allegation is proven, Shaista Parveen will be expelled from the party. The BSP never compromises on matters of crime," Singh had said.
Umesh Pal and his two police security guards were shot dead on February 24 outside his home in Prayagraj's Dhoomanganj area.
Based on a complaint lodged by Umesh Pal's wife Jaya Pal, a case was registered on February 25 against Atiq Ahmad, his brother Ashraf, wife Parveen, two sons, aides Guddu Muslim and Ghulam, and nine others.
On March 28, an MP/MLA court held Atiq Ahmad and two others guilty in the 2006 Umesh Pal kidnapping case and sentenced them to life imprisonment. That was Ahmad's first conviction even though more than 100 cases had been registered against him.
The 60-year-old former Samajwadi Party MP was brought from Sabarmati Jail in Gujarat by road for hearing in the case in Prayagraj.
On April 15, Atiq Ahmad (60) and his brother Ashraf were shot dead at point-blank range by three men posing as journalists in the middle of a media interaction on Saturday night while police personnel were escorting them to a medical college here for a checkup.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)