LUCKNOW, March 13 -- Rahul Gandhi, the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, will launch a Dalit outreach initiative for the Congress in Uttar Pradesh on Friday on 'Samajik Parivartan Diwas' to rebuild the party's social base ahead of the 2027 Uttar Pradesh assembly elections. The move comes two days before the birth anniversary of Kanshi Ram, the Dalit ideologue and Bahujan Samaj Party founder whose political legacy continues to shape Dalit politics in the state. This will be Rahul's first public event in Lucknow after a gap of nearly two years. He addressed the 'Samvidhan Bachao Sammelan' in May 2024, during the Lok Sabha election on the same Indira Gandhi Pratishthan campus. Friday's programme will bring together Dalit leaders, social activists and intellectuals. It will focus on social justice and political empowerment. By putting Kanshi Ram's ideas of Bahujan empowerment in the foreground, the Congress hopes to reconnect with the community that once formed a crucial part of the party's support base. "Dalits are facing their worst time under the BJP government in Uttar Pradesh and this event will ignite the torch of social justice across the state," said Ajay Rai, the Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee president. Through the outreach programme, Rahul Gandhi is expected to emphasise issues such as caste census, social justice and enhanced representation for marginalised communities. "Kanshi Ram cannot belong to any one person or party just as Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose or Mahatma Gandhi. Kanshi Ram remained associated with a party, but his ideology and vision are being taken forward by our Nyaya Yoddha Rahul Gandhi in the shape of the campaign for social justice," said Anil Jaihind, chairman of the All India Congress Committee backward classes department. Congress leaders said the initiative marks the beginning of a broader campaign to reconnect with Dalit voters at the grassroots across Uttar Pradesh in the run-up to the 2027 polls. The party leadership held a meeting to discuss preparations for the event. The senior leaders who attended the meeting included Anil Jaihind, Rajendra Pal Gautam, chairman of the All India Congress Committee Scheduled Castes department, Manoj Yadav, the Uttar Pradesh Congress OBC department chairman and Anil Yadav, former general secretary (organisation)....