Mayawati calls for caste census on Kanshi Ram birth anniversary

On the birth anniversary of Kanshi Ram, Bahujan Samaj Party supremo Mayawati has made a renewed call for the conduct of a caste census.

In a three-page note posted on X, the former chief minister of Uttar Pradesh pointed out that such a census was essential for new path and impetus to overall development. The government must not ignore this any longer.

The pending caste census is not an indication of ‘good governance’ for the count was directly related to the development of the nation. She has also pointed out that a Parliamentary committee on the issue had also vocalised its disappointment at the pending caste census. This was of particular importance to Uttar Pradesh, where 80 per cent of the population falls in the ‘Bahujan’ category, she wrote.

Kanshi Ram’s birth anniversary has not been celebrated with as much zeal as it was when the BSP’s electoral position was stronger. This come despite Mayawati directing party workers to mark the day with missionary zeal a few days ago.

Before posting the note on X, Mayawati, in a series of tweets, referred to herself as the Iron lady of BSP who believed in action, more than words.

The larger note, which has also been posted on the party’s official account, drew attention to the numerous religious, linguistic, regional and communal tensions that were growing in the country and the need to nip them. Mayawati has recently been critical of the shutting down of madrasas in Uttarakhand and has called upon the state government to uphold the values of secularism.

Mayawati also referred to Kanshi Ram’s rallying slogan of work for everyone and claimed that under her chiefministership, that had been implemented to a large extent. A lack of work had led to ‘khali haath, khaali dimag’ (empty hands, empty minds), which was damaging the country in large measure.

She drew attention to the many monuments, memorials, parks, hospitals, universities, hospitals that had been set up in Kanshi Ram’s name and this was disliked by the opposition. One example she chose was the Manyawar Kanshi Ram ji Urdu, Arabic, Persian University, Lucknow, which she said was first renamed by the Samajwadi Party as Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti Language University, and then by the Bharatiya Janata Party as ‘Bhasha University’, which an indication of these parties ‘narrow’ thought.