Dalits vow to ‘free’ Kanshi

It was clear that the rally had the tacit support of UP CM Mulayam Singh Yadav, as it was led by State Sports Minister R.K. Chaudhary, who was expelled by Mayawati three years ago. ‘‘The 95-year-old mother of Kanshi Ramji has urged us to free her son from Mayawati’s clutches. She has told me that Kanshi Ram himself has pleaded with her to somehow take him out of Batra Hospital in New Delhi. He is being administered injections laced with drugs, while Mayawati is not allowing his family members to meet him,’’ alleged Chaudhary.

Raising slogans of ‘‘Kanshi Ram ko Batra se hatana hain, AIIMS lana hain’’, the Dalits marched through the Hazratganj locality in Lucknow and stopped near party ideologue Babasaheb Ambedkar’s statue to take an oath to get Kanshi Ram freed.

‘‘We will take our fight to New Delhi and will not sit idle till the founder of the Bahujan Samaj is back with us,’’ Chaudhary said. ‘‘Mayawati has not only assumed command of the party forcibly but also virtually confined him in a private hospital,’’ he added.

Later, Chaudhary and his supporters submitted a memorandum to Governor V.K. Shastri, with the plea that the same be forwarded to the President so that the government may secure Kanshi Ram’s ‘‘release’’ from the hospital. ‘‘We will never forgive Mayawati for the present condition of our saheb (Kanshi Ram). She has become a multi-millionaire, while the BSP founder has been left to her mercy,’’ said Mahendra Singh Pasi.