LUCKNOW: A large section of the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) has revolted against the leadership of Kanshi Ram. They expressed “no confidence” in him in an emergency meeting here.

The meeting organized by the party’s central action committee and the state action committee leaders jointly criticized the party supreme for perpetuating “autocratic rule” in the party and throwing democratic norms to the wind.

Ragunath Singh Lodhi, president of the party’s central action committee presided over a meeting and reconstituted the state action committee with Kundan Lal sits president

The virtual coup against Kanshi Ram was carried out silently after a long deliberation among large members of the party’s state and central units who had been murmuring against Kansri Ram for a long time.

Short of expelling Kanshi Ram rom the party the participants in the meeting described him as a “traitor to down trodden cause” who exploited the sentiments of weaker sections of the society to his personal gain.

 AUTOCRATIC STYLE: Later addressing a press conference Lodhi said that Kanshi Ram was, functioning in autocratic style least respecting the democratic values. Referring to the repeated pronouncement of Kanshi Ram to hold elections within the party to constitute organizational base, Lodhi said that the leader back racked on his promise and joined hands with elitist.

Lodhi said that though the emergence of the BSP as apolitical force to reckon with was a concerted efforts of the grass root workers, Kanshi Ram was gradually corrupt and became director in his behavior.

The dissident leaders said that after consolidating his vote bank Kanshi Ram betrayed the causes of Harijans and backwards and tried to hold his backwards and tried to hold his hegemonic control over the party organizations.

Referring to tickets distribution in the recent elections, the group of dissident leaders present at the press conference though the party rules has made it mandatory to give tickets only to the active party members, Kanshi Ram handed over a large number of tickets even to outsiders much to the chagrin of party workers. Jai Ram Singh Jat, general secretary of the central action committee said that he was perturbed over Kanshi, Rams stubborn attitude. He along with other senior leaders called meeting of party’s state level activists and denounced Kanshi Rams behavior and reconstituted the state action committee.

Article extracted from this publication >> January 17, 1992