As Rahul Gandhi eyes Dalit consolidation through Kanshi Ram in U.P., BSP gets unsettled, political slugfest intensified

By demanding the Bharat Ratna for Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) founder Kanshi Ram, Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi aims to mobilize Dalits in Uttar Pradesh for the Congress party and sharpen the party’s overall social justice-centric narrative.

While promising to follow the late leader’s path by fighting for the issues of the marginalized sections has irritated the BSP and its leader Mayawati, the Congress party in UP is enthusiastic about Mr. Gandhi’s efforts and hopes that continued assistance to the Bahujans will further consolidate the support of the Dalit, Extremely Backward Classes (EBC) in favor of the Congress seen in the 2024 Lok Sabha.

Mr. Gandhi has made several moves in the last few days signaling bold assistance to Dalits through Kanshi Ram. Speaking at the ‘Samvidhan Sammelan’ program organized by the state Congress in Lucknow on March 13, ahead of Kanshi Ram’s birth anniversary, Mr. Gandhi claimed that if his great-grandfather, India’s first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, had been alive during the rise of Kanshi Ram, he would have been appointed Prime Minister from the Congress.

“If Jawaharlal Nehru had been alive, then Kanshi Ram would have been the prime minister of the Congress,” he said, admitting that the Congress had failed to fully discharge its responsibilities in the past, forcing leaders like Kanshi Ram to chart their own political path.

On Kanshi Ram’s birth anniversary on Sunday, March 15, 2026, he wrote a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, demanding India’s highest civilian honour, the Bharat Ratna, for Kanshi Ram. This outreach is a renewed effort to connect with Dalits, a large social group that accounts for roughly 21% of the total electorate in UP and positions the Congress as a staunch defender of the issues faced by the marginalized community.

“Currently, when the persecution of Dalits has reached a new level during the BJP government in Uttar Pradesh, the ideas of BSP founder Kanshi Ram and Dalit Shoshit Samaj Sangharsh Samiti (DS-4) are more relevant than ever in the State. Our leader Rahul Gandhi has been vocally voicing the problems of Dalits and all the marginalized sections. So it is natural that the ideas of Kanshi Ram and BR Ambedkar are socially oriented. Anil Yadav, a senior leader of UP Congress, said “Justice, inspire him. “If you look at the agenda of the Congress party, you will see that social justice is at the center,” he said.

Ms. Mayawati, president of BSP, was upset with this aid and constantly accused the Congress of trying to weaken the BSP, the party founded by Kanshi Ram, through various tactics.

“The same Congress party, when in power at the centre, did not declare even a single day of national mourning over his (honourable Shri Kanshi Ram’s) death and the Samajwadi Party government in Uttar Pradesh also did not declare state mourning. Now all these parties are constantly trying to weaken the BSP, the party founded by the revered Shri Kanshi Ram, using various tactics. Therefore, their followers and supporters should always be alert against them. They should be especially careful. The anti-Dalit sentiment and mentality of the Congress Party which led to the formation of BSP is a part of the Congress Party.” “He is a member,” he claimed.

The Samajwadi Party (SP) is not reacting directly to Mr Gandhi’s initiatives but is signaling that all demands have already been expressed by the UP Centric party. “We all want Bharat Ratna for late Kanshi Ram Ji,” SP president Akhilesh Yadav said.

Analysts point out that Rahul Gandhi’s bold claims need to be translated into action on the ground to shift massive Dalit support in favor of the Congress.

“It is a fact that in the 2024 polls, a section of Dalit votes have shifted to the Congress-led INDIA alliance and Mr Gandhi’s ‘save the constitution’ plan is working in favor of the opposition. But Rahul Gandhi’s bold claims and acceptance by the Congress, which has failed to fully fulfill its past responsibilities, have limitations, to garner massive and sustained Dalit support, his words need to be translated through on-the-ground action by Congress workers fighting for issues affecting the Dalit community at the local level,” Lucknow-based analyst Asad said. “Just like BSP did in the 1990s and early 2000s,” Rizvi said.