Kanshi Ram
| Kanshi Ram | |
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| Founder and National president of the Bahujan Samaj Party | |
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In office 14 April 1984 – 18 September 2003 |
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| Succeeded by | Mayawati |
| Member of the Indian Parliament for Hoshiarpur |
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In office 1996–1998 |
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| Preceded by | Kamal Chaudhry |
| Succeeded by | Kamal Chaudhry |
| Member of the Indian Parliament for Etawah |
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In office 1991–1996 |
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| Preceded by | Ram Singh Shakya |
| Succeeded by | Ram Singh Shakya |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 15 March 1934 Khawaspur village, Rupnagar district, Punjab, India |
| Died | 9 October 2006 (aged 72) New Delhi |
| Political party | Bahujan Samaj Party |
| Website | www |
Kanshi Ram (15 March 1934 – 9 October 2006), also known as Bahujan Nayak or Saheb, was an Indian politician and social reformer who worked for the upliftment and political mobilisation of the Bahujans, the untouchable groups at the bottom of the caste system in India. Towards this end, Kanshi Ram founded Dalit Shoshit Samaj Sangharsh Samiti (DS-4), the All India Backward and Minority Communities Employees' Federation (BAMCEF) in 1971 and the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) in 1984. He ceded leadership of the BSP to his protégé Mayawati who has served four terms as Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh.
Kanshi Ram was born on 15 March 1934 in Khawaspur village, Ropar district, to a Ramdasia Chamar Sikh family. The Ramdasias are a Dalit sect but in Punjab at that time there was relatively little stigma attached to being an untouchable.
Kanshi Ram joined the offices of the Explosive Research and Development Laboratory in Pune. In 1964, during his time there, he joined the agitation started by SCEWASTAMB (All India Federation of Scheduled Caste/Tribes Backward Class & Minorities Employees Welfare Associations) of Government of India to prevent the abolition of a holiday commemorating B. R. Ambedkar's birthday.
In 1978, Ram formed BAMCEF, a non-political, non-religious and non-agitational organisation with wings like BVF, Brotherhood Center and Buddhist Research Center.
Later, in 1981, Ram formed another social organisation known as Dalit Shoshit Samaj Sangharsh Samiti (DS4). He started his attempt of consolidating the Dalit vote and in 1984 he founded the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP). The BSP found success in Uttar Pradesh, initially struggled to bridge the divide between Dalits and Other Backward Classes but later under leadership of Mayawati bridged this gap.
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Wikipedia