New Delhi, March 15 The Congress hailed the founder of the Bahujan Samaj Party, Kanshi Ram, on his birth anniversary, with Rahul Gandhi saying that his tireless struggle and dedication to the rights of the poor, Dalits, and the marginalized serve as "an inspiration to us".
Paying tributes to Kanshi Ram, Gandhi claimed that the Constitution is under threat today, and "those who came to power by taking an oath to Babasaheb's Constitution are themselves trying to undermine it".
"A respectful tribute to the Bahujan icon, Kanshi Ram Ji, on his birth anniversary. His tireless struggle and dedication to the rights of the poor, Dalits, and the marginalized serve as an inspiration to us all," Gandhi said in his post in Hindi on X.
"He believed that the Constitution is the true strength of Dalits, the backward classes, and the deprived. That very Constitution is under threat today—those who came to power by taking an oath to Babasaheb's Constitution are themselves trying to undermine it," Gandhi said.
"Without a share in power, justice is impossible"—this is the enduring message of Kanshi Ram Ji's legacy. This dream of social justice shall not remain unfulfilled. The Congress Party has stood—and will always stand—for the participation, dignity, and constitutional rights of the Bahujan community," the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha asserted.
Paying tributes to Kanshi Ram, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said the great social reformer accomplished the historic task of organizing the Dalits, the deprived, the exploited, and the backward classes, thereby securing for them a dignified place within the mainstream of Indian politics.
“His contribution to the struggle for social justice and equality will forever remain a source of inspiration,” Kharge said in a post in Hindi on X.
“On the occasion of his birth anniversary, we pay him our humble tributes,” he added.
Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra said, “A humble tribute to Shri Kanshi Ram Ji—a hero of the ideology of social justice and a powerful voice for the Dalit, deprived, and exploited sections of society—on the occasion of his birth anniversary.”
"Through his ideas and movements, Kanshi Ram Ji elevated the constitutional principles of equality and justice to new heights. His thoughts will continue to inspire us all forever," she said in a post in Hindi on X.
The Congress, from its official X handle, said, “Humble tributes on the birth anniversary of Bahujan society's icon and social reformer, Kanshi Ram Ji.”
Earlier this week, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi had said that if Jawaharlal Nehru had been alive, Kanshi Ram would have been made a chief minister from the Congress.
Nehru, India’s first prime minister, died in 1964, while Kanshi Ram emerged on the political scene with the formation of backwards-championing BAMCEF in 1978, and later bolstered his position with the formation of the BSP in 1984.
Speaking at the Samvidhan Sammelan, the Congress leader said Mahatma Gandhi, B R Ambedkar, and Kanshi Ram never compromised on their principles.