UPA to Speaker: Please adjourn House for Kanshi Ram

At a time when political parties are gearing for Assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh, the UPA government has asked Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee to adjourn the first day of the winter session of the House as a mark of respect to BSP founder Kanshi Ram who passed away last month. If the Speaker agrees, it will be a departure from practice since this is done only in the case of a sitting member of the House.

Describing Kanshi Ram as ‘‘an icon of Dalit society’’ and placing him on the same pedestal as B R Ambedkar and Jagjeevan Ram, Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Suresh Pachauri wrote to Chatterjee today, suggesting that the House ‘‘make a departure from normal practice and adjourn for the whole day’’ as a tribute to Kanshi Ram.

‘‘Over the years and through a political career filled with hardships, Kanshi Ram emerged as a dominant leader of the Dalits. In fact, he became an icon of Dalit society like Babasaheb Ambedkar and Jagjeevan Ram’’ and enjoyed ‘‘trust and confidence among vast sections of the SC community in the country,’’ stated Pachauri.