LUCKNOW: Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief, Mayawati, on Saturday came down heavily on the Congress over its proposal seeking the Bharat Ratna for Bahujan leader Kanshi Ram, accusing the party of attempting to "exploit his name" despite what she described as its long-standing "anti-Dalit" attitude.
Her remarks came a day after Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha (LoP), Rahul Gandhi, said that if late Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru were alive today, Bahujan leader Kanshi Ram would have become the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh.
LoP Gandhi made the statement while speaking at a ‘Samajik Parivartan Divas (Social Change Day)' programme held at the Indira Gandhi Pratishthan in Lucknow to mark Kanshi Ram’s birth anniversary.
During the event, a proposal was also passed demanding that Kanshi Ram be conferred the Bharat Ratna, the country’s highest civilian honour.
Reacting sharply, Mayawati questioned the Congress party’s intentions and recalled its past record regarding recognition of Dalit leaders.