Mayawati wants Bharat Ratna for Kanshi Ram

Lucknow: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati has demanded that her mentor and BSP founder Kanshi Ram be honoured with Bharat Ratna, the country's highest civilian award.
In a letter sent to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Saturday afternoon, Mayawati drew the Prime Minister’s attention to late Kanshi Ram's contribution in creating the awakening among Dalits and other marginalized sections of society.
"Kanshi Ram also did a yeoman service in breaking the barriers between different lower castes so that these could unite themselves into a meaningful political force and assert their rights," she noted.
The move was being seen as yet another salvo from Mayawati on the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government, with which she has been engaged in a tug-of-war over various political issues since she assumed office in May 2007.
A debate on Bharat Ratna who should get the Bharat Ratna started after Leader of Opposition L K Advani shot off a letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh urging him to consider former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee's name for the award.
Claiming the contribution of Kanshiram for the uplift and empowerment of Dalits in the country was no less valuable than the names of the leaders already raised in the race for the award, Mayawati argued that he was the fittest case for the honour.