Kanshi Ram | |
---|---|
1st President of the Bahujan Samaj Party | |
In office 14 April 1984 –18 September 2003 | |
Preceded by | office established |
Succeeded by | Mayawati |
Member of Parliament,Rajya Sabha | |
In office 1998–2004 | |
Constituency | Uttar Pradesh |
Member of Parliament,Lok Sabha | |
In office 1996–1997 | |
Preceded by | Kamal Chaudhry |
Succeeded by | Kamal Chaudhry |
Constituency | Hoshiarpur |
In office 1991–1996 | |
Preceded by | Ram Singh Shakya |
Succeeded by | Ram Singh Shakya |
Constituency | Etawah |
Personal details | |
Born | Rupnagar,Punjab,British India | 15 March 1934
Died | 9 October 2006 72) New Delhi,India | (aged
Political party | Bahujan Samaj Party |
Website | Kansi Ram Official Website |
Kanshi Ram (15 March 1934 –9 October 2006),also known as Bahujan Nayak [1] or Manyavar,Sahab Kanshiram [2] [3] was an Indian politician and social reformer who worked for the upliftment and political mobilisation of the Bahujans,the backward or lower caste people including untouchable groups at the bottom of the caste system in India. [4] Towards this end,Kanshi Ram founded Dalit Shoshit Samaj Sangharsh Samiti (DS-4),the All India Backwards (SC/ST/OBC) and Minorities Communities Employees' Federation (BAMCEF) in 1971 and the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) in 1984. He ceded leadership of the BSP to his protégéMayawati who has served four terms as Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh.
KanshiRam Ji was born to a Ramdasia family of Chamar caste on 15 March 1934 in Ropar district,Punjab,British India. Some sources say his birthplace was the village of Pirthipur Bunga and others that it was Khawaspur village. [5]
After studies at various local schools, [6] Ram graduated in 1956 with a BSc degree from Government College Ropar. [7]
Kanshi Ram joined the offices of the Explosive Research and Development Laboratory in Pune. [8] It was at this time that he first experienced caste discrimination [7] [ how? ] and in 1964 he became an activist. Those who admire him point out that he was spurred to this after reading B. R. Ambedkar's book Annihilation of Caste and witnessing the discrimination against a Dalit employee who wished to observe a holiday celebrating Ambedkar's birth. Kanshi Ram strongly inspired by B. R. Ambedkar and his philosophy. [9]
Ram initially supported the Republican Party of India (RPI) but became disillusioned with its co-operation with the Indian National Congress. In 1971,he founded the All India SC,ST,OBC and Minority Employees Association and in 1978 this became BAMCEF,an organisation that aimed to persuade educated members of the Scheduled Castes,Scheduled Tribes,Other Backwards Classes and Minorities to support Ambedkarite principles. [10] BAMCEF was neither a political nor a religious body and it also had no aims to agitate for its purpose. Suryakant Waghmore says it appealed to "the class among the Dalits that was comparatively well-off,mostly based in urban areas and small towns working as government servants and partially alienated from their untouchable identities". [11]
Later,in 1981,Ram formed another social organisation known as Dalit Shoshit Samaj Sangharsh Samiti (DSSSS,or DS4). He started his attempt of consolidating the Dalit vote and in 1984 he founded the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP). He fought his first election in 1984 from Janjgir-Champa seat in Chhattisgarh. [12] The BSP found success in Uttar Pradesh,initially struggled to bridge the divide between Dalits and Other Backward Classes [13] but later under leadership of Mayawati bridged this gap. [14]
In 1982,he published his only book The Chamcha Age,on the fiftieth anniversary of the Poona Pact. He dedicated the book to Jyotirao Phule,B. R. Ambedkar,Periyar,and ‘many other rebellious spirits’who worked for Dalit emancipation. In the Poona Pact,Ambedkar who had worked hard to earn separate electorates from the British,had to surrender the possibility due to Mahatma Gandhi's fast unto death. Ambedkar feared the possible consequences to the nascent Dalit movement if he had not. Ram believed that the separate electorates would have provided the Dalits autonomy and authority;it would have undermined the power of the upper castes who constituted a relatively smaller population. Ram argued that Gandhi manipulated Ambedkar into signing the pact,and implied a defeat for the Dalits. This directly led to The Chamcha (stooge) Age, where Dalit leaders were made stooges of the upper caste. Dalit electorates had little say in getting their representatives elected even in seats reserved for them. [15] Ram used the term to describe Dalit leaders such as Jagjivan Ram and Ram Vilas Paswan. [8] He argued that Dalits should work politically for their own ends rather than compromise by working with other parties. [16] Opportunist mobilization of a section of Dalits in the chamcha age thus produces,what Kanshi Ram calls,an ‘alienation of the elite’. The Dalit elite could overcome this alienation by ‘payback to the oppressed and exploited society’. [15]
After forming BSP,Ram said the party would fight first election to lose,next to get noticed and the third election to win. [17] In 1988,he contested in Allahabad against a future Prime Minister V. P. Singh and performed impressively but lost polling close to 70,000 votes. [18]
He unsuccessfully contested from East Delhi (Lok Sabha constituency) (against HKL Bhagat) and Amethi (Lok Sabha constituency) (against Rajiv Gandhi) in 1989 and came in the third position on both the seats. Then he represented the 11th Lok Sabha (1996-1998) from Hoshiarpur, [19] Kanshiram was also elected as member of Lok Sabha from Etawah in Uttar Pradesh. [10]
After Demolition of the Babri Masjid in 1992,Mulayam Singh Yadav and Kanshi Ram joined hands to keep communal forces out of power by creating unity among the backward and Dalit castes and giving the popular slogan "Mile Mulayam-Kanshi Ram,Hawa mein ud gaye Jai Shri Ram" (When Mulayam &Kanshiram come together,Jai Shri Ram vanishes). [20] After the election,a coalition government of Samajwadi Party and Bahujan Samaj Party was formed in UP under the leadership of Mulayam Singh Yadav,although due to some differences and Mayawati's ambition,this alliance broke up in June 1995,Mayawati became first time Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh in support of BJP. In the late 1990s,Ram described the BJP as the most corrupt (mahabrasht) party in India and the Indian National Congress,Samajwadi Party and Janata Dal as equally corrupt. In 2001,he declared Mayawati as his successor. [21] [22]
In 2002,Ram announced his intention to convert to Buddhism on 14 October 2006,the 50th anniversary of Ambedkar's conversion. He intended for 50,000,000 of his supporters to convert at the same time. Part of the significance of this plan was that Ram's followers include not only untouchables,but persons from a variety of castes,who could significantly broaden Buddhism's support. However,he and his successor Mayawati decided to convert to Buddhism when BSP will form the absolute government in some states and government at the centre. [23]
Mayawati his successor said "Saheb Kanshi Ram and I had decided that we will convert and adopt Buddhism when we will get 'absolute majority' at the centre. We wanted to do this because we can make a difference to the religion by taking along with us millions of people. If we convert without power then only we two will be converting. But when you have power you can really create a stir". [24]
Kanshi Ram was a diabetic. He suffered a heart attack in 1994,an arterial clot in his brain in 1995,and a paralytic stroke in 2003. [25] He died in New Delhi on 9 October 2006 of a severe heart attack at the age of 72. [26] He had been virtually bed-ridden for more than two years. [27] According to his wishes, [28] his funeral rites were performed according to Buddhist tradition,with Mayawati lighting the pyre. [25] His ashes were placed in an urn and kept at Prerna Sthal,where many people paid their respects. [29]
In his condolence message,Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh described Ram as "one of the greatest social reformers of our time.. his political ideas and movements had a significant impact on our political evolution... He had a larger understanding of social change and was able to unite various underprivileged sections of our society and provide a political platform where their voices would be heard." Under Ram's leadership,the BSP won 14 parliamentary seats in the 1999 parliamentary elections. [30]
In 1982,Kanshi Ram wrote The Chamcha Age (The Era of the Stooges),a book in which he used the term chamcha (stooge) for Dalit leaders who he alleged had selfish reasons to work for parties such as the Indian National Congress (INC) [8] and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). [16] His book Birth of BAMCEF was also published. [31] His biography,Kanshiram:Leader of the Dalits was written by Badri Narayan Tiwari. [32] [33] His speeches are compiled in books like Bahujan Nayak Kanshiram Ke Avismarniya Bhashan by Anuj Kumar,Writings &Speeches of Kanshiram compiled by S. S. Gautam &A.R. Akela and The Editorials of Kanshi Ram by Bahujan Samaj Publications in 1997.
There are many government programmes and schemes [34] [35] and public institutions named after Kanshi Ram in Uttar Pradesh. [36] [37] [38] [39] His birthplace Pirthipur Bunga Sahib has a memorial with his statue. [40] Manyawar Shri Kanshiram Ji Green Eco Garden in Lucknow has been named in his memory. [41]
In 2017,a Hindi-language Biopic film The Great Leader Kanshiram was released in India,directed and produced by Arjun Singh, [42] [43] based on the story of DS4,BAMCEF and Bahujan Samaj Party founder Kanshi Ram from his childhood to 1984.
The Bahujan Samaj Party is a political party in India that was formed to represent Bahujans,referring to Scheduled Castes,Scheduled Tribes,and Other Backward Classes (OBC),along with religious minorities. According to Kanshi Ram,when he founded the party in 1984,the Bahujans comprised 85 percent of India's population,but were divided into 6,000 different castes. The party claims to be inspired by the philosophy of B. R. Ambedkar,Jyotiba Phule,Narayana Guru,Chhatrapati Shahuji Maharaj,and Gautama Buddha.
Kumari Mayawati is an Indian politician who served as the 18th Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh from 1995 to 1995,1997 to 1997,2002 to 2003 and from 2007 to 2012. She is the national president of the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP),which focuses on a platform of social change for Bahujans,more commonly known as Other Backward Classes,Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes as well as religious minorities since 2003. She had also served as a Member of Parliament,Rajya Sabha from 2012 to 2017 from Uttar Pradesh. Mayawati's rise from humble beginnings has been called a "miracle of democracy" by P. V. Narasimha Rao,former prime minister of India. In 1993,Kanshi Ram formed a coalition with the Samajwadi Party and Mayawati became the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh in 1995. She was the first female Scheduled Caste chief minister in India. In 1997 and in 2002 she was chief minister with outside support from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP),the second time only for a year up to 26 August 2003 due to BJP withdrawing support.
Apna Dal (Kamerawadi) is an Indian political party active in the state of Uttar Pradesh.
The Republican Party of India was a political party in India. It had its roots in the Scheduled Castes Federation led by B. R. Ambedkar. The Party was established by Dr. Br. Ambedkar in 1956 which was to serve as an entry point to the Republican Party of India (RPI). It is the political party named RPI made by Dr. Br. Ambedkar. There are many members of that party who have been worked with RPI but later they have made their own parties named only with RPI that not real RPI party of Dr. Br. Ambedkar but some other parties still claim to be RPI.
The 2007 Uttar Pradesh legislative assembly election was held during April–May 2007. It was held to elect a government for the state of Uttar Pradesh in India.
Sone Lal Patel was an Indian politician active in the state of Uttar Pradesh. He was the founder of the political party Apna Dal and one of the founding members of the Bahujan Samaj Party.
The All India Backward and Minority Communities Employees Federation, abbreviated as BAMCEF,is an organisation for employees of oppressed communities that was established in 1971 by Kanshi Ram,D. K. Khaparde,and Dinabhana.
D. K. Khaparde was an Indian activist and a founder of the precursor to BAMCEF in 1971 and later the president of BAMCEF.
Babu Singh Kushwaha is an Indian politician from Uttar Pradesh,serving as chief of the Jan Adhikar Party and former Family Welfare Minister in the Uttar Pradesh government under Mayawati. He was also one of Behenji’s trusted backroom boys,who besides working at the grassroots looked after the party’s administrative affairs. Kushwaha was at the center of controversy in the NRHM scam. In the 2024 Indian general election,he won from the Jaunpur Lok Sabha constituency on the symbol of Samajwadi Party,becoming a member of Lok Sabha for the first time.
Dara Singh Chauhan is an Indian politician,currently serving as member of legislative council,and formerly represented the Madhuban in Uttar Pradesh as a member of Bharatiya Janata Party. He was former Cabinet Minister in Yogi Adityanath ministry. He also represented Ghosi in the 15th Lok Sabha,where he was leader of the Bahujan Samaj Party. In 16th Lok Sabha,he was defeated by Harinarayan Rajbhar who represented Bharatiya Janata Party by more than 140,000 votes.
The Dalit Shoshit Samaj Sangharsh Samiti,abbreviated as DS4 or DSSSS was founded in 1981 by Kanshi Ram to organise Dalits and other marginalised groups of India.
The Manyawar Shri Kanshiram Ji Green Eco Garden,also known as Eco Gardens Lucknow,is an ecological garden in Lucknow,India named after Kanshi Ram,the founder of the Bahujan Samaj Party.
The Bhim Army,alternatively Bheem Army or the Bheem Army Bharat Ekta Mission is an Ambedkarite and Dalit rights organisation in India. It was founded by Satish Kumar,Vinay Ratan Singh and Chandrashekhar Azad in 2015. The organisation runs more than 350 free schools for Dalits and Muslims in Uttar Pradesh. The organisation is named after B. R. Ambedkar.
Satnam Singh Kainth,was an Indian politician and founder of BSP (Kainth).
Ritesh Pandey is an Indian politician who has served as the Member of Parliament from Ambedkar Nagar constituency. He was a member of the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) from the state of Uttar Pradesh. Pandey resigned from Bahujan Samaj Party and joined Bharatiya Janata Party in February 2024. He was also a MLA from Jalalpur constituency in Ambedkar Nagar district,which he represented between June 2017 and May 2019 before elected as MP in. He was appointed the Leader of the BSP in the Lok Sabha in January 2020. Prior to this appointment,he served as the Deputy Leader. According to his election filing he has 30 crores as his assets.
Chandrashekhar Azad,also known as Chandra Shekhar Ravan,an Indian social activist,Ambedkarite activist,politician and lawyer. He is serving as a Member of Parliament of the 18th Lok Sabha from Nagina since June 2024. He is the chief and co-founder of the Bhim Army,and the National President of the Azad Samaj Party. In February 2021,Time magazine featured him in its annual list of 100 Emerging Leaders who are Shaping the Future.as he is becoming an asset to deep-state
The Mahagathbandhan,or MGB,or simply the Gathbandhan (Alliance),was an anti-Congress,anti-BJP,Indian political alliance formed in the run-up to the 2019 general election under the leadership of two former Chief Ministers of Uttar Pradesh,Akhilesh Yadav of the Samajwadi Party and Mayawati of the Bahujan Samaj Party,along with Ajit Singh's Rashtriya Lok Dal.
Arun Kumar Sagar is an Indian politician.He currently serves as a second term Member of Lok Sabha for Shahjahanpur since 2019.
Azad Samaj Party (Kanshi Ram) (translation:Free Society Party (Kanshi Ram));abbr.ASP(KR)),commonly known as Azad Samaj Partyabbr.ASP),is an Indian registered unrecognised political party in the state of Uttar Pradesh. It was founded by Chandrashekhar Azad.
{{cite news}}
: External link in |last=
(help)CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)