Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Friday said that if India’s first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru were alive today, Bahujan leader Kanshi Ram would have been the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh.
Gandhi made the remarks while speaking at a ‘Samajik Parivartan Divas’ (Social Change Day) programme organised at the Indira Gandhi Pratishthan in Lucknow to mark Kanshi Ram’s birth anniversary.
During his speech, Gandhi paid tribute to Kanshi Ram, praising him for dedicating his life to the struggle for equality and social justice for marginalised communities. He also acknowledged that the Congress had not fully fulfilled its responsibilities in the past, which, according to him, forced leaders like Kanshi Ram to pursue an independent political path.
“If the Congress had worked effectively during that period, Kanshi Ram might not have needed to launch a separate movement,” Gandhi said, adding that Nehru would have ensured that Kanshi Ram rose to the position of Chief Minister.
At the event, participants also passed a proposal urging the government to confer the Bharat Ratna on Kanshi Ram in recognition of his contributions to social justice and empowerment of marginalised communities.
Gandhi reiterated that the Indian National Congress believes in ensuring equal opportunities and fair representation for all sections of society. He said the ideology of the Constitution of India reflects the values shaped by thinkers and leaders such as Mahatma Gandhi, B. R. Ambedkar and Gautama Buddha.
He also criticised ideologies associated with Vinayak Damodar Savarkar and Nathuram Godse, claiming that those who follow such views do not respect the true spirit of the Constitution.
Gandhi further argued that Indian society is divided between a 15 per cent privileged minority and an 85 per cent majority, with the benefits of resources and power largely concentrated among the smaller group. He said the Congress would continue its efforts to promote social justice, equality and greater representation of marginalised communities in governance.
“We must practice politics that brings real social change,” Gandhi said. “Politics that ensures the participation of the poor, Dalits, backward classes and tribal communities in the country’s power structure.”
Earlier in the day, Rahul Gandhi was welcomed by Congress leaders and party workers at Lucknow airport before attending the programme commemorating Kanshi Ram’s birth anniversary.
