New Delhi, March 15 – Calls for Bharat Ratna for Kanshi Ram grew on Sunday, the founder of the Bahujan Samaj Party, with Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati demanding the country's highest civilian honour for the Dalit icon.
While Gandhi wrote a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, appealing to him to confer the Bharat Ratna on Kanshi Ram posthumously, Mayawati, leader of the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), said the government should not delay in bestowing the honour on the party founder.
"Like the Congress party, which did not honour Babasaheb Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar, the architect of India's Constitution, with the Bharat Ratna, the current BJP-NDA government should not make any further delay in honouring Kanshi Ramji with the Bharat Ratna," Mayawati was quoted as saying in a statement issued by the BSP.
The former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister's remarks came days after Gandhi said that if Jawaharlal Nehru were alive, Kanshi Ram would have been made a Chief Minister by the Congress.
In his letter to Modi, Gandhi said Kanshi Ram transformed the nature of Indian politics and through his movements, raised political awareness among Bahujans and the poor.
"As we commemorate the birth anniversary of Kanshi Ramji today and reflect on his legacy and contributions, I write with a request that he be awarded the Bharat Ratna posthumously," the leader of the opposition in the Lok Sabha said.
"Kanshi Ramji transformed the nature of Indian politics. Through his movements, he raised political awareness among Bahujans and the poor. He reminded them that their vote, voice and representation are important and that this country belongs to everyone equally," he added.
Gandhi asserted that because of Kanshi Ram's efforts, many people who had never considered entering public life began to see politics as a means to achieve justice and equality.
"Our Constitution promises equality, dignity and participation for every Indian. Kanshi Ramji devoted his life to making these promises meaningful for those at the very bottom of society. In doing so, he strengthened the foundations of Indian democracy and made our political system more representative and just," the former Congress president said.
"For many years, Dalit intellectuals, leaders and activists have called for Kanshi Ramji to be honoured with the Bharat Ratna. Their demand has been consistent and deeply felt. Recently, I attended a programme in Lucknow where this demand was reiterated strongly by the leaders and participants present, reflecting a widespread sentiment," he said.
Conferring the Bharat Ratna on Kanshi Ram posthumously would recognise his immense contribution to the country, Gandhi said.
"It would honour the aspirations of millions of people who continue to view him as a symbol of empowerment and hope. I hope the government will seriously consider this request," the Congress leader said in his letter to the prime minister.
Sharing his letter on X, Gandhi said, "I demand that the government of India honour the great warrior of social justice and guide of Bahujan consciousness, Honourable Kanshi Ramji, with the Bharat Ratna."
"This highest national honour will be a tribute to Kanshi Ramji and the entire movement that showed crores of Bahujans the path to rights, participation and self-respect. My letter to @PMOIndia regarding this demand," he said, posting the screenshot of the letter.
Earlier, the Congress hailed Kanshi Ram on his birth anniversary, with Gandhi saying his tireless struggle and dedication to the rights of the poor, Dalits and the marginalised serve as "an inspiration to us".
Mayawati said Kanshi Ram's "contribution in creating an egalitarian society in the country, as enshrined in the Constitution, is historic, and for this reason, he too resides in the hearts of the people".
"He not only created a political force, but also formed a government in a large and important state like Uttar Pradesh, and made me its chief minister," she added.
Mayawati also hit out at the Congress, the Samajwadi Party and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), saying they only talk about the Bahujans, but rarely work for their uplift.
On Saturday, the BSP chief slammed the Congress, saying it was the grand old party's "anti-Dalit ideology" that had necessitated the formation of the outfit and the national party never accorded due respect to Dalit icon Ambedkar.
In a post on X, she urged BSP workers to remain vigilant against what she claimed were attempts by other political parties, especially the Congress, to use Kanshi Ram's name and weaken the BSP.
"The Congress never gave due honour to Babasaheb Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar -- the messiah of Dalits and the principal architect of the Constitution -- nor did it ever confer upon him the title of Bharat Ratna.... How can the same party now honour Kanshi Ram," she said in her post in Hindi.
The remarks of the former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister came a day after a proposal was passed at the "Samvidhan Sammelan" organised by the Congress in Lucknow, stating that the party would confer the Bharat Ratna on Kanshi Ram if voted to power.
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 Rajya Sabha member from 1998 to 2004.
Kanshi Ram died in Delhi on October 9, 2006, at the age of 72.