Punjab Vidhan Sabha on Monday unanimously passed a resolution seeking Bharat Ratna for Bahujan Samaj Party founder Kanshi Ram, even as Speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan refused to put up before the House a resolution moved by the Opposition Congress seeking the highest civilian award for freedom fighter Bhagat Singh.
Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema moved the resolution urging the Union government to posthumously confer Bharat Ratna upon Kanshi Ram, the move coming a day after the 92nd birth anniversary of the late political leader. The resolution, coming on concluding day of the Budget Session, received support across the party lines.
“Babu Kanshi Ram Ji played a monumental role in championing the ideology of Babasaheb Dr. B R Ambedkar and carried the message of socio economic equality to every household. He was a symbol of unparalleled integrity. He lived and died without any property, land or bank accounts registered in his name,” said Cheema.
Recalling that Kanshi Ram sacrificed his career as a gazetted officer in Pune to fight against cast- based discrimination, Cheema said he first formed the All India Backward and Minority Communities Employees Federation (BAMCEF) and later empowered thousands of youth from poor and middle class backgrounds to enter the national political arena.
Tracing his life and political journey, Cheema said, Kanshi Ram was born on March 15, 1934 in Khawaspura in Ropar and completed his graduation from Government College, Ropar. He was elected a Lok Sabha MP from Etawah in Uttar Pradesh in 1991 and from Hoshiarpur in Punjab in 1996, and subsequently served in the Rajya Sabha.
“Recently, along with my Cabinet colleague Harjot Singh Bains, I visited Babu Kanshi Ram Ji’s associated villages of Khawaspura and Pirthipur Bunga in Anandpur Sahib. To honour his legacy, the Punjab government has allocated a Ra 2 crore grant for the reconstruction and upgrading of a local school, which will be renamed in his honour. Additionally, the government has approved the construction of a library and a modern auditorium at his native village to preserve his historical impact for future generations,” said Cheema.
Referring to earlier political demands on the issue, Cheema said. “After Babu Kanshi Ram ji’s passing on October 9, 2006, the Congress led Union government failed to allocate suitable land in Delhi for a memorial despite widespread demands from the BSP and his followers,” he said, adding that AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal had formally demanded the Bharat Ratna for Kanshi Ram in 2016
Bajwa suppoted the resolution. “Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, has already written to the union government demanding Bharat Ratna for Kanshi Ram. It is good that Harpal Cheema has taken inspiration from him and brought this resolution,” he said.
The sole BSP MLA in the House, Nachhatar Pal, too welcomed the AAP government’s initiative in bringing the resolution to the House.
Resolution on Bhagat Singh
Later, Bajwa hit out at the AAP government and the Speaker for refusing to allow a resolution demanding the Bharat Ratna for Bhagat Singh to be put before the House.
Bajwa said that the Congress had formally moved the resolution recommending that the Government of India confer the Bharat Ratna upon Bhagat Singh in recognition of his unparalleled sacrifice and his role in igniting the movement against British colonial rule.
Bajwa said that Bhagat Singh was not merely a revolutionary figure from Punjab but a national icon who symbolised courage, sacrifice and the spirit of freedom for the entire country. Honouring him with the Bharat Ratna, he said, was long overdue and would be a fitting tribute to one of India’s greatest martyrs.
“It is deeply ironic that the AAP government frequently invokes the ideals of Bhagat Singh and claims to take inspiration from his ideology, yet when an opportunity arose to formally recommend the highest civilian honour for him, it failed to act,” said Bajwa, adding that blocking of the resolution has exposed the gap between AAP’s rhetoric and its actions.
Bahujan Samaj Party founder Kanshi Ram. (File Photo) 
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