India, Sept. 14 -- The founder-president of the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), Kanshi Ram, and his protege Mayawati chose to stay unmarried to dedicate their lives to their mission of empowering Dalits.

Kanshi Ram, as we know, mentored Mayawati and handed over his political legacy to her though she was not a member of his family.

Ironically, family troubles did not spare him later in life. Mayawati, for one, deviating from the stern position on succession, picked a family member as her political heir. But her argument for choosing a family member as her heir is unconvincing.

She explained in a tweet: "Kanshi Ram shunned family politics. As his disciple I am also against it. Had I not been a girl, I would not have allowed any of my siblings...