Like Ambedkar, Kanshi Ram has also started liking other political parties. Of course, Mayawati and BSP should call themselves the sole inheritors of Kanshi Ram’s legacy, but to attract Dalit voters, especially in Uttar Pradesh, other parties are also not ready to leave any opportunity to express their respect towards him. Like last few years, this time also in Uttar Pradesh, on Kanshi Ram’s birthday, not only BSP but also Congress, SP and BJP will remind people of his contribution in the upliftment of Dalits in various programs.
In Mayawati’s eyes, other political parties have always been betraying the Dalit community. In his opinion, these parties are also remembering Kanshi Ram in the greed of Dalit votes. On the other hand, these parties are rejecting these allegations and calling Kanshi Ram everyone. Read why BSP founder Kanshi Ram is finding it necessary to remember other parties?
Kanshi Ram is the biggest Dalit icon after Ambedkar.
The biggest name among the Dalit class in Indian politics is that of Dr. BR Ambedkar. In the last few decades, Kanshi Ram also gained immense popularity among them. By awakening and empowering the Dalits through various organizations, Kanshi Ram created a big political force through BSP. As a result, not only coalitions but also a full coalition government was formed under the leadership of Mayawati in the country’s largest state Uttar Pradesh in 2007-2012. Even in 2009, the Left parties gave Mayawati the dream of becoming the Prime Minister. However, the further political journey of BSP was disappointing. By the time the 2022 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections came, the party was reduced to just one seat. He is at zero in the Lok Sabha.
BSP supremo Mayawati paid tribute to Kanshi Ram on Sunday.
Kanshiram prepared a big vote bank
Kanshi Ram’s efforts prepared the political ground for BSP in many states of North India. But he got his biggest success in Uttar Pradesh. His Bahujan formula, with the alliance of Dalits, Backwards and Muslims, created such a huge vote bank that it also attracted some sections of the upper castes, especially the Brahmins. Kanshiram died in 2006. But the crop he had prepared was reaped by his successor Mayawati in the 2007 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections. BSP achieved absolute majority in this election.
She got new confidence after a woman from her community sat on the biggest chair of the state. The credit for this goes to Kanshiram, who is no longer among them, but has got a permanent place in their memories.
Bahujan theory brought to the center of politics
Kanshi Ram not only gave the slogan of social justice among the Dalit-Bahujan community, but also succeeded in converting it into political power. While Ambedkar gave ideological basis to Dalit politics, Kanshi Ram is recognized as a successful strategist in taking that idea to political organization and power.
Through BAMCEF, DS-4 and then Bahujan Samaj Party, Kanshi Ram brought the theory of Bahujan to the center of Indian politics. Kanshi Ram tied the knot with Ambedkar’s teaching that political power is necessary for social progress and change. He believed that the social status of Dalits could not change unless they became participants in the power structure.
Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi reached the Constitution Conference organized in Lucknow on the eve of the birth anniversary of BSP founder Kanshi Ram.
The greater the number, the greater his share.
He did not suddenly enter politics to gain political power. In 1978, Kanshi Ram started building an organization among government employees through BAMCEF. The objective of this organization was to connect Dalit, backward and minority class officers and employees with the social movement and to utilize their economic and intellectual resources for the Bahujan movement.
Political scientist Sudha Pai wrote in her book The Rise of the BSP that BAMCEF was the first phase of Kanshi Ram’s long-term strategy. This organization was not directly involved in electoral politics, but was a means of cadre building. In 1984, Kanshi Ram formed another organization DS 4 (Dalit Shoshit Samaj Sangharsh Samiti) whose slogan was Thakur, Brahmin, Baniya Chhod, rest sab hain DS4. Through this slogan, Kanshi Ram drew the line of Bahujan versus upper caste dominance. The objective was to give a separate common political identity to the Dalit, backward and minority communities and to organize them for a movement for change of power. After these preparations, Kanshi Ram founded the Bahujan Samaj Party in 1984. The party made ‘The bigger the number, the bigger the share’ the party made its basic mantra.
In his speeches, Kanshi Ram kept repeating that we are 85 percent of the population of this country.
Targeted at Dalit leaders of other parties
Kanshi Ram aimed to organize about 85% of the country’s population, which includes Dalits, backward classes, tribals and minorities, and believed that change in the social structure would be possible only when power comes into the hands of this group. Before being accepted among other classes, it was necessary for Kanshi Ram to be accepted among the Dalits. For this, he attacked those Dalit leaders who are supposedly supporters of Dalits but are actually supporters of the upper castes.
In 1982, Kanshi Ram, in his famous book The Chamcha Age, used Chamcha to describe Dalit leaders who, according to him, worked in the interest of upper caste political parties. Kanshiram wrote that the biggest crisis of Dalit politics is the Chamcha culture where Dalit leaders become instruments of others’ politics instead of becoming independent political forces. This book is considered as an ideological document in Dalit politics.
He made Mayawati his political heir and said that he will prepare such a leader that big people will bow before him.
Society does not change without power
In his speeches, Kanshi Ram kept repeating that we are 85 percent of the population of this country. But we do not control power. When Bahujans will unite, then power and society will also change. But the first condition for this change was the strength of the organization, because according to him, without organization, society is just a crowd. Whereas organization transforms it into power. He considered power necessary for social change and kept saying without hesitation that we are fighting for power because only power changes the society. He did not trust Dalit leaders of other parties.
His claim about himself was that he had set out to produce leaders, not cronies. He made Mayawati his political heir and said that he will prepare such a leader that big people will bow before him. In 1995, Mayawati became the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh for the first time. This historical incident of Dalit politics was proof of the success of Kanshi Ram’s mission.
BSP becomes weak, other parties compete over Kanshi Ram’s legacy
Mayawati achieved the post of Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh not once but four times. Thrice with the help of BJP and last time in 2007-12 with full majority of BSP alone. But the series of defeats of BSP started from 2014. Then its defeat continued in the assembly elections of 2017 and 2022 and the Lok Sabha elections of 2019, 2024. With the marginalization of BSP, there is a competition among other parties to attract its Dalit vote bank, especially in Uttar Pradesh.
Claiming Kanshi Ram’s legacy is his means. After the death of Kanshi Ram, SP, Congress and BJP are acceptable to all. Dalit vote plays a decisive role in the politics of North India. But Kanshi Ram is even more attractive because he not only did Dalit politics but also tried to create a common political identity of Bahujan i.e. Dalits, backward classes, tribals and minorities. His legacy has become a widespread symbol in the politics of North India.
Samajwadi Party is trying to connect them with the Bahujan-socialist tradition. While Congress is mentioning them in the context of social justice politics, BJP has started giving them a place under the politics of national respect for Dalit symbols.
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