Mayawati honors BSP founder Kanshi Ram, cites four Uttar Pradesh governments

BSP president Mayawati on Friday honored party founder Kanshi Ram on his death anniversary, recalling the party’s four terms governing Uttar Pradesh under her leadership.

Tribute

Mayawati posted on X that Kanshi Ram worked to empower Dalits, tribals, backward classes and other weaker sections by turning their votes into political power. She quoted his aim to give a “master key of power” to crores of these groups and to advance the unfinished mission of Dr B. R. Ambedkar.

Legacy

She said his mission‑driven resolve enabled the Bahujan Samaj Party to form the Uttar Pradesh government four times while she was chief minister. In those periods the BSP pursued historic social transformation and economic emancipation, drawing inspiration from reformers such as Jyotiba Phule, Narayana Guru, Chhatrapati Shahu Maharaj and B. R. Ambedkar. The party’s rule also emphasized law and order, crime control and public‑welfare projects for all sections of society.

Context

The Bahujan Samaj Party was founded by Kanshi Ram in 1984 to give a political voice to Dalits and other marginalized communities. Kanshi Ram, born on 15 March 1934 in Punjab, died on 9 October 2006.