Mayawati seeks Bharat Ratna for Kanshi Ram
Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) president Mayawati on Monday greeted people on the occasion of Republic Day and reiterated her demand for Bharat Ratna for party founder Kanshi Ram.
In a post on X, the former Uttar Pradesh chief minister said, “I extend heartfelt greetings and best wishes to all countrymen, Indians living across the world and their families on the 77th Republic Day.”
She said that while the day was meant to take pride in the Constitution, its real significance lay in assessing whether governments were living up to its spirit.
“Apart from taking pride in our excellent Constitution, its special importance lies in honestly assessing whether the tall claims and alluring promises of the central and state governments are merely deceptive or whether the country has achieved the desired political, social and economic democratic progress in accordance with the Constitution's welfare-oriented intent,” she wrote in her post in Hindi. Raising questions, the BSP chief asked, “Has there been any much-needed improvement in people's living standards?” She said only such an “honest evaluation” could “pave the way for freedom from the country's pressing problems”. Mayawati also congratulated those honoured with Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan, Padma Shri and the highest gallantry awards on Republic Day and extended greetings to their families.
Reiterating a long-standing demand, she said, “Kanshi Ram, who dedicated his entire life to empowering crores of poor, exploited and neglected people of the 'Bahujan Samaj' and enabling them to live a life of self-respect and dignity, should be conferred the Bharat Ratna without any further delay.”
She added that the BSP had been consistently raising the demand to honour Kanshi Ram with the country's highest civilian award.
