Hey Ram, Ram, Bahujan!

By John Cheeran
Kanshi Ram, the man who dragged Bahujans into the courtyard of Indian politics, died on Monday morning in New Delhi. And with his death, a lingering controversy has leapt into flames again.
To whom Kanshi Ram belonged to and to now whom his body belongs to?
Is it to Mayawati, the reigning deity of Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) or Kanshi Ram’s relatives?
Kanshi Ram belonged to the oppressed classes of northern India.
Among all the Rams in Indian politics, Kanshi was the most political and original. He conceptualized and launched a political party that re-shaped the contours of Indian politics by giving the Dalits the bargaining power hitherto they could not even dream of.
It is remarkable that the BSP has not been a passing phenomenon but has stayed a critical factor in Indian political equations. BSP, will, surely outlive Kanshi.
Kanshi’s political genius was that he carved a niche for himself and his brethren a rightful place in Indian society.
And in his detachment to the politics of office he came closer to Mahatma Gandhi than anyone else in independent India. What a pity it is that, towards the end of his life Kanshi Ram had to realize that even caste cannot hold a community together.
Today, Kanshi Ram's relatives are accusing Mayawati of slow poisoning him to death. Bahujans are fighting over the rights to bury him in Indian capital now.
Is blood thicker than water then?
In Kanshi Ram’s case, Delhi High Court shall enlighten us.