In an interesting turn of development, the Congress on Saturday paid rich tributes to Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) founder late Kanshi Ram on his 91st birth anniversary, with senior leader Rahul Gandhi saying his struggle for the rights of Dalits, deprived and exploited “will continue to guide us” at every step in the fight for social justice.

“Respectful tributes to the great social reformer, Honourable Kanshi Ram Ji, on his birth anniversary. His struggle for the rights of Dalits, deprived and exploited will continue to guide us at every step in this fight for social justice,” Rahul Gandhi said in a post on X.

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge also paid tributes to the late BSP leader.

“We pay our humble tributes on the birth anniversary of great social reformer, Manyawar Kanshi Ram Ji, who contributed significantly in connecting the Dalit, deprived, exploited and backward classes of the society with the mainstream of Indian politics,” Kharge posted on X.

“He left an indelible mark as a pioneer of equality and social justice,” he added.

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.

Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra also hailed Kanshi Ram and lauded his contributions to the fight for the rights of the Dalits and the deprived.

“Respectful tributes to the strong voice for the rights of Dalits, deprived, exploited and backward classes, pioneer of social justice and Bahujan leader, Honourable Kanshi Ram Ji, on his birth anniversary,” Priyanka Gandhi said in a post in Hindi on X. “Honourable Kanshi Ram Ji gave new heights to social justice and constitutional values? through his thoughts and social movements. His thoughts will continue to inspire generations,” she added.

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. The Congress also paid tributes to the BSP founder from its official X handle.