Lucknow, Mar 15: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Deputy Chief Ministers Keshav Prasad Maurya and Brajesh Pathak, BSP chief Mayawati and Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav paid tributes to Kanshi Ram on the occasion of his birth anniversary on Sunday.
In a post on X in Hindi, Adityanath said, “My humble tributes on the birth anniversary of Manyavar Kanshi Ram ji, the pioneer of social justice and founder of the Bahujan Samaj Party, who dedicated his entire life to the upliftment of the Dalits, the exploited, and the deprived.”
Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya in a post on X, said, “A hundred salutations to Kanshi Ram ji, a staunch champion of social justice, a powerful voice for the rights of the deprived and the exploited, and the founder of the Bahujan Samaj Party on the occasion of his birth anniversary. His life of struggle dedicated to the ideals of equality, self-respect, and social consciousness, continues to inspire society to remain vigilant regarding justice and rights.”
Deputy Chief Minister Brajesh Pathak also paid tributes to Kanshi Ram.
BSP chief Mayawati, while paying tributes to Kanshi Ram, in a post on X in Hindi, said, “On the occasion of the birth anniversary of founder and architect of the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), revered Kanshi Ram ji, I along with his followers across the entire nation, including Uttar Pradesh, under my leadership, offer our humble salutations and deepest tributes.
“We pay homage to the man who dedicated his entire life to a relentless and arduous struggle revitalising the thought and movement of revered Babasaheb Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar across the country, carrying his caravan forward, and steering it towards the ultimate goal of political power,” she said.
She reiterated the resolve to strengthen the BSP’s ‘Social Transformation and Economic Liberation’ movement with wholehearted commitment and to achieve electoral success with unwavering determination.
“There is also an appeal to the people of the ‘bahujan samaj’ to ‘join the BSP movement and become dedicated, principled ‘Ambedkarvadis,’ and through the power of their votes, secure the ‘master key’ to political power.
“This would enable them to implement at the grassroots level the rights enshrined in the Constitution by Babasaheb Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar for the interest, welfare, upliftment, protection, and self-respect of the nation’s bahujans,” Mayawati said.
The UP Congress in a post on X, said, “Jiski jitni sankhya bhaari, uski utni hissedaari. Our salutations on the birth anniversary of the bahujan icon, ‘Saheb’ Kanshi Ram ji. Fulfilling the dream you envisioned of the oppressed and downtrodden becoming ‘rulers’ will be our true tributes to you. Jai Bhim! Jai Bharat!”
Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav shared a photograph of Kanshi Ram on his X post, and called him a hero of social change.
National president of the Azad Samaj Party (Kanshi Ram), and Lok Sabha MP from Nagina Chandra Shekhar Aazad hailed Kanshi Ram for awakening a community which was “sleeping”.
In a post on X, Aazad said, “My humble salutations and respectful tributes to the bahujan icon, Manyavar Sahib Kanshiram ji, on the occasion of his birth anniversary; and heartfelt congratulations and best wishes to you all on the 6th Foundation Day of the Azad Samaj Party (Kanshiram).”
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 in Lucknow on Tuesday, Rahul Gandhi had said Mahatma Gandhi, BR Ambedkar, and Kanshi Ram never compromised on their principles.
Born in Punjab’s Rupnagar on March 15, 1934, Kanshi Ram worked for the upliftment and political mobilisation of people belonging to backward classes. 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.
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.
The BSP stalwart passed away on October 9, 2006, in Delhi at the age of 71.
