The Hindu : Front Page : ‘Give Bharat Ratna to Kanshi Ram’

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Jan 13, 2008
ePaper | Mobile/PDA Version

Front Page

Front Page

‘Give Bharat Ratna to Kanshi Ram’

Special Correspondent

It will be an honour for the people of the country, says Mayawati

LUCKNOW: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati on Saturday demanded that the nation’s highest civilian honour, Bharat Ratna, be conferred posthumously on her political mentor and founder of the Bahujan Samaj Party, Kanshi Ram, for his contribution towards creating social and political awareness among the crores of Dalits.

Addressing a press conference here, she said she had placed the demand in a letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

Ms. Mayawati said Kanshi Ram deserved the honour as he had devoted his entire life for the uplift of the downtrodden sections.

She said he had instilled self-confidence in the Dalits, deprived and backward sections, who had been divided into several castes.

Referring to media reports that the names of the former Prime Minister, Atal Bihari Vajpayee and the former West Bengal Chief Minister, Jyoti Basu, were under consideration, the Chief Minister said her government and the ruling party welcomed the move.

However, conferring the Bharat Ratna on the BSP founder would be an honour for the people of the country.

‘Special gifts’

Meanwhile, some public welfare measures, she referred to as “special gifts” for the people, would be announced on her birthday on January 15.

Stating that her birthday would be celebrated in a simple manner throughout the country, she said she had appealed to her partymen to render financial help to poor widows, the elderly and physically impaired persons of the “sarv saamaj” on the occasion. She also appealed to her cadres to extend financial assistance to the party on the day.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Front Page