JALANDHAR: Kanshi Ram the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) Supremo last week stressed that his party was all poised to grab power at the Center and that the Dalit leaders should contribute to the process. Speaking at a public rally at Noor Mahal as mall town about 30 km from here Kanshi Ram emphasized that the Dalit’s should prepare themselves to be at the helm of political affairs in the country and urged party workers to produce leaders who could lead the Dalits in the night direction at this juncture Thousands of BSP workers and supporters. holding party flags scented the air with slogans of Kanshi Ram Zindabad when the cavalcade of the Dalit leader entered the town.
Stating that the leaders should Cooperate with each other instead of fighting among themselves he said that he was expecting Punjab to produce the right kind of Dalit leaders who would head the party.
Taking a dig at the other political parties Kanshi Ram said that they had become stronger with their support. But now when the Dalits were trying to stand on their own feet these parties were making all efforts to weaken the unity of downtrodden people however he was confident that the Dalits would from strength to Strength. He said that the aim of the Dalit movement was to bring about a social transformation and economic freedom in the country. To achieve these they had to take over the political power in the country he added.
Narrating his experiences in the five states where elections were due by the year end Kanshi Ram Said that the political parties were afraid of the growing influence of the BSP He said that the ruling Congress parties in these states were doing Out largesse to the Dalits in a hurry. But Dalits would not be satisfied till they grabbed political power He disclosed that he would concentrate in these five states in the coming months to project BSP force. The BSP leader said that his party was struggling to bring the Dalits who were being trampled by the upper caste people to the mainstream of the country.
Earlier the Dalit leader paid floral tributes to Dalits who were killed in a shootout during the 1992 Punjab Assembly elections. He also honored those who were injured in the shootout. Former MP Harbhajan Lakha; legislator Singhara Ram Sahunguda legislator Baljit Singh Bhatti legislative party leader Satnam Singh Kainth and several Dalit leaders also paid tribute to the deceased.
Article extracted from this publication >> February 25, 1994
