LUCKNOW: Reiterating her demand for the Bharat Ratna for BSP founder Kanshi Ram on his death anniversary, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati on Friday urged the government to address the country's fundamental problems through concrete measures rather than create a “feel-good” atmosphere for a handful of people.
The BSP president said poverty, inflation and unemployment had become major concerns for Gen Z and Gen Alpha.
Addressing a gathering at the BSP's central camp office here to mark Kanshi Ram's death anniversary, the former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister renewed her demand for the country's highest civilian award to be conferred on the party founder.
Mayawati urged governments to move beyond rhetoric and claims and take concrete steps to improve education, healthcare, roads and employment, particularly in Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and neighbouring states.
“At a time when widespread poverty, inflation, unemployment, illiteracy and backwardness are plaguing every section of society, how is it possible to make the country happy and prosperous by creating a feel-good atmosphere for just a handful of people? The government must adopt better and sustainable measures and empower people by ensuring they have employment and are strong and self-respecting, thereby building a strong India,” she said.
“The young people of Gen Z and Gen Alpha should be engaged in nation-building in accordance with the right constitutional intent and the policies of the Central and state governments,” she added.
On issues concerning public interest, welfare and the nation, Mayawati said the government should rely more on itself than on the purely profit-oriented private sector and work towards self-reliance. The country, she said, should be governed in accordance with the Constitution's noble, humanistic and welfare-oriented spirit, rather than with a commercial mindset.
Warning that the increasingly vocal younger generation would not tolerate failures in governance indefinitely, she said people would hold governments accountable for broken electoral promises, irresponsibility, disorder and corruption.
She also referred to continuing campaigns seeking improvements in schools and education, alleging that these had faced opposition and obstruction from governments.
Returning to her demand for the Bharat Ratna for Kanshi Ram, Mayawati said, “While Babasaheb Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar, despite his historic role as the architect of India's unparalleled Constitution, was not awarded the Bharat Ratna for a long time by the Congress government, the people had already honoured him by calling him ‘Param Pujya’ and ‘Babasaheb’.”
Ambedkar was eventually conferred the Bharat Ratna under the government led by VP Singh, she said, after the BSP had grown stronger.
“In the same way, Manyavar Shri Kanshi Ram should certainly have been awarded the Bharat Ratna in recognition of his historic contribution to social transformation and to respect the sentiments of the Bahujan Samaj, but this has not happened so far,” she said.
“The BSP, therefore, strongly demands that Manyavar Shri Kanshi Ram be conferred with the Bharat Ratna,” Mayawati added.
She said millions of people belonging to the Bahujan Samaj constituted her extended family and that their welfare, interests, identity and dignity were paramount to her. She pledged not to compromise on these priorities and said she would uphold the trust Kanshi Ram had placed in her by naming her as his successor.
Mayawati also said the BSP must remain free from dynastic politics and other influences that could undermine its founding mission.
Urging party workers to intensify their efforts ahead of the upcoming Assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Punjab, she said political power was essential to translate the ideals of the party's founders into reality.
Recalling Kanshi Ram's emphasis on the power of the vote guaranteed by the Constitution, she urged members of the Bahujan Samaj to protect this right as they would their lives, property, faith and self-respect.
She also cautioned party workers against “fake news, paid news, sponsored coverage and misinformation spread through conventional media, social media and artificial intelligence”, alleging that such tactics could distract the BSP from its electoral preparations.
Meanwhile, BSP national convenor Akash Anand, who was recently reinducted into the party, and several senior party functionaries attended the event in Lucknow and paid floral tributes to Kanshi Ram.
Akash was quick to repost on social media a post by his aunt and party chief commemorating Kanshi Ram's death anniversary.
When Mayawati sacked Akash from the party on September 10, she had cited, among other reasons, his failure to repost some of her recent social media posts.
Kanshi Ram, a social reformer and political leader, was born on March 15, 1934, in Punjab, and died on October 9, 2006. He founded the BSP in 1984.