New Delhi, March 16 – The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Monday accused the Congress of neglecting other Dalit leaders like Babu Jagjivan Ram, following a controversy sparked by the Congress' demand for Bharat Ratna for the late Kanshi Ram, a leader of the Bahujan Samaj Party.
Notably, Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday, urging that Kanshi Ram be awarded the Bharat Ratna posthumously. Mayawati, the leader of the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), also urged the Centre not to delay honoring the Dalit icon with the country's highest civilian award.
Speaking to reporters outside Parliament, BJP MP Nishikant Dubey claimed that former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi wanted to award Bharat Ratna to Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed due to the Emergency, which led to Babu Jagjivan Ram's resignation from the Congress.
Dubey added that the Congress should have first demanded Bharat Ratna for its own leaders. "Babu Jagjivan Ram, who made significant contributions to the country's freedom struggle, are they not being acknowledged?" he said.
He further asked, "Why wasn't Kanshi Ram awarded the Bharat Ratna during the Congress' own regime? He died in 2006, while the Congress was in power until 2014."
"They (the Congress) were running the government with his support," he claimed.
Dubey added, "Why wouldn't Ram Vilas Paswan be awarded the Bharat Ratna? If this is the criteria, all these people should be awarded the Bharat Ratna. They have all made immense contributions, including Kanshi Ram."
Accusing the Congress, he said, "I think Rahul Gandhi should reflect on this. The Congress should explain why they didn't award Bharat Ratna to Babu Jagjivan Ram, despite his being such a great freedom fighter."
BJP MP Dinesh Sharma said that the BJP considers all its great leaders holistically.
He said, "Kanshi Ram is such a personality who took the initiative to form a government with the BJP. There are many schemes that were launched during the former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee's regime to honor his legacy."
Meanwhile, Congress MP Ujjwal Raman Singh urged that the demand for Bharat Ratna for Kanshi Ram should be accepted.
"LoP Rahul Gandhi has already demanded the Bharat Ratna for Kanshi Ram. The Central Government should immediately react to his demand and announce the Bharat Ratna (for Kanshi Ram). I believe this will increase his respect," he said.
Congress MP Jebi Mather added, "Our leaders have taken a stand. LoP Rahul Gandhi has very clearly taken a stand (on this matter). Let us see what the government is doing."