Lucknow, Sept. 10 -- Former Rajya Sabha MP Ashok Siddharth on Thursday responded to BSP chief Mayawati's ultimatum by declaring his readiness to quit politics entirely if she believes his presence harms the "Bahujan movement" and appealed to her not to link his "sanyasas" to her nephew Akash Anand's political future.

His statement follows Mayawati's public condition linking the political future of Akash Anand to Siddharth's total exit from politics. Mayawati has removed Akash Anand from his role as the BSP's national convener, demoting him to an ordinary party worker because he needed to gain "political maturity".

Mayawati had said that Siddharth still had the opportunity to "renounce his political ambitions, rise above personal interes...