Lucknow, Sept. 13 -- BSP chief Mayawati on Sunday said that her nephew Akash Anand continues to function under the "influence" of his father-in-law Ashok Siddharth, days after Anand was "fully relieved" from the party.

Adressing a presser in Lucknow, Mayawati claimed that people expelled from the party had been spreading confusion among party members over the past one to two days, claiming that she was seriously ill, citing an alleged phone call from Ashok Anand to a party-incharge.

"It seems that people who have been expelled from the party have been spreading confusion among party members for the past 1-2 days that Behen Ji (Mayawati) is quite ill. Therefore, instead of coming before the media, she is sending even major statements dir...