LUCKNOW: Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Sunday said 14th-century saint Ravidas dreamt of a society where there is no discrimination on the basis of caste and religion, and that everyone should work towards fulfilling it.
Speaking at a function in Varanasi on the occasion of Ravidas Jayanti, she urged the audience to take the teachings of the saint to the masses. “He (Sant Ravidas) had dreamt of a society, where there is no discrimination and where every person is respected. You all should take forward his teachings to the masses, especially at a time, when there is so much violence and hatred in society. His teachings are need of the hour,” Priyanka Gandhi said. A 14th-century saint, Ravidas is revered in Buddhism, Sikhism and Hinduism. He was born in Varanasi and was a leading figure of the Bhakti Movement.
The Congress general secretary arrived in Varanasi, the parliamentary constituency of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on a day-long visit to take part in Ravidas Jayanti programmes. Priyanka said it is her privilege that she got an opportunity to bow her head at the birthplace of Sant Ravidas. “Sant Ravidas used to say in his teachings that Ram and Rahim are one. We are all part of one god. We must learn from his teachings,” she said. Before attending the function, the Congress leader offered prayers at the Guru Ravidas Janamsthan Mandir.
‘Will rename Bhadohi as Sant Ravidas Nagar’
BSP supremo Mayawati on Sunday said if voted to power in Uttar Pradesh, her party will rename Bhadohi as Sant Ravidas Nagar. In a statement issued in Delhi, she said, “As soon as the BSP comes to power (in UP), it will rename Bhadohi as Sant Ravidas Nagar. The previous SP government had changed its name due to its casteist mentality.”
She also accused the Congress and the BJP of never honouring saint-poet Ravidas during their tenures.
The former CM’s assertion to rename Bhadohi as Sant Ravidas Nagar came close on the heels of a proposal to change the name of Basti, a district located in the eastern parts of the state, after Maharishi Vashishth.