As Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Sant Ravidas temple in Varanasi, Bahuhan Samaj Party (BSP) supremo Mayawati today said apart from paying obeisance, leaders should also try to adopt the 15th century poet’s ideology.
“Besides paying obeisance at Ravidas temple, the leaders should also try to adopt his ideology, only then the poor and downtrodden of the country can benefit,” Ms. Mayawati said while referring to Modi’s Varanasi visit.
Sant Ravidas was a medieval poet of the Bhakti religious tradition, from the erstwhile ‘Untouchable’ caste, whose poetry embodied a dissident socio-religious ideology opposing the institutionalised inequality of the Indian caste system.
Attacking ruling Samajwadi Party government in the state, Ms. Mayawati said it did not have a “moral right” to celebrate Ravidas Jayanti as immediately after coming to power it had changed name of district Ravidas Nagar to Bhadohi.
“The SP has no right to celebrate Ravidas Jayanti as it did not respect him and had changed the district’s name to Bhadohi again after coming to power,” she added.
PTI