Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Sunday wrote a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi requesting him to posthumously award the Bharat Ratna to Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) founder Kanshi Ram.
Gandhi’s letter came as the nation commemorated Kanshi Ram’s birth anniversary on Sunday, March 15.
In the letter, Rahul Gandhi claimed that Kanshi Ram changed the nature of Indian politics and raised political awareness among the Bahujans and the poor through his movements.
Read also | Mayawati leaves the government bungalow, says the Kanshi Ram memorial
“As we commemorate Kanshi Ramji’s birth anniversary today and reflect on his legacy and contributions, I am writing to request that he be awarded the Bharat Ratna posthumously,” the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha said in the letter.
“Kanshi Ramji transformed the nature of Indian politics. Through his movements, he raised political awareness among the Bahujans and the poor. He reminded them that their voice, voice and representation matter and that this country belongs to all equally,” he added.
Read also | Ambedkar and Kanshi Ram: similar but different
Gandhi said that thanks to the efforts of Kanshi Ram, many people who had never considered entering public life came to see politics as a means to achieve justice and equality.
“Our Constitution promises equality, dignity and participation for every Indian. Kanshi Ramji dedicated his life to making these promises meaningful to people at the very bottom of society. In doing so, he strengthened the foundations of Indian democracy and made our political system more representative and fair,” Rahul Gandhi said.
“Dalit intellectuals, leaders and activists have been clamoring for many years for Kanshi Ramji to be honored with the Bharat Ratna. Their demand has been consistent and deeply felt,” Gandhi wrote in the letter.
Read also | Sunita Williams comeback: Mamata Banerjee proposes Bharat Ratna for NASA astronaut
He also recalled attending a program in Lucknow where “this demand was emphatically reiterated by the leaders and participants present, reflecting a widely held sentiment”.
“A posthumous award of the Bharat Ratna to Kanshi Ram would recognize his immense contribution to the country,” Gandhi said.
“It would honor the aspirations of millions of people who continue to look up to him as a symbol of empowerment and hope. I hope the government will give serious consideration to this request,” the Congress chief said in his letter to the prime minister.
Who was Kanshi Ram?
Kanshi Ram was born in Punjab’s Rupnagar on 15 March 1934 and founded the Bahujan Samajwadi Party (BSP) in 1984.
He formed the party “with the aim of uniting the Bahujan Samaj, comprising the Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, Other Backward Classes and religious minorities, into a formidable political force,” the BSP wrote on its website.
Read also | Mayawati expels nephew Akash Anand from BSP
He founded the All India Backwards and Minorities Communities Employees Federation (BAMCEF) in 1971, the Dalit Shoshit Samaj Sangharsh Samiti in 1981, before forming the BSP in 1984.
According to news agency PTI, Kanshi Ram was elected to the Lok Sabha from Etawah in Uttar Pradesh in 1991 and from Hoshiarpur in Punjab in 1996. He also served as a member of the Rajya Sabha from 1998 to 2004.
A BSP stalwart, he died on 9 October 2006 in Delhi at the age of 71.
