India, March 15 -- Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Sunday wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to seek India's highest civilian honour, the Bharat Ratna, for Kanshi Ram, the Dalit icon who founded the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP)

Rahul Gandhi wrote on X: "I demand that the Government of India honour the great warrior of social justice and the guiding light of Bahujan consciousness, the esteemed Shri Kanshi Ram ji, with the Bharat Ratna. This highest national honour will be a tribute to Shri Kanshi Ram ji and the entire movement that showed millions of Bahujans the path to rights, participation, and self-respect."

This comes with barely a year left for elections in Uttar Pradesh, the centre of the late Kanshi Ram's politics. With Dalits co...