NEW DELHI: The Bahujan Samaj Party (party of the masses) on Friday launched its election campaign with a call to India’s downtrodden to fight unitedly for radical changes in the present social and economic system.

Setting the tone for the party’s campaign in the coming general elections BSP president Kanshi Ram said the vital issue during the forthcoming polls would be “stability with change”.

He was addressing a public rally at the boat club lawns here as part of the centenary year birthday celebrations of Baba Saheb Ambedkar the Messiah of India’s backward classes.

Lashing out at all the major political parties for the continuing status quo in the social political and economic fields Kanshi Ram said people of the poorer sections scheduled castes and tribes were now becoming more aware of their “Our major demand still remains social transformation and economic emancipation for the masses” he said in his more than an hour-long speech.

The public rally also marked the completion of 100-day long campaign undertaken by Kanshi Ram which began from Kanya Kumari on the southern mast tip of India on December 6 last year.

“We want our rule so that we are not treated as beggars” he said amid applause.

The BSP president said during the last two years the attitude of all major political parties towards poor and downtrodden had changed.

If we join hands and unitedly fight for our rights nobody can stop us from capturing about 300 seats in the parliamentary polls.”

Article extracted from this publication >> March 22, 1991