25 Best Manyavar Kanshiram Quotes For The Bahujans
Through his brilliant oratory skills, Manyavar Kanshiram stirred the souls of the Dalits of India. Not only did he popularise the creed and deeds of Baba Saheb Ambedkar. But, he also created a platform in the form of the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) for Dalits. And these quotes by Kanshiram saheb tell us about his views on some of the important issues that affect the lives of the Bahujans of India.
Kanshiram Quotes for the Dalits and Bahujans
1. Ambedkar collected books, I gathered People.
2. If you have the right desire, paths open up on their own; but if it is not right, then thousands of excuses come up.
3. The pathetic condition of dalits in India even after so many years of independence was chiefly due to the leaders themselves, who were mere puppets in the hands of the Congress.
4. In a democracy the worth of a queen and a maid is the same.
5. If the Congress is a snake, the Janata Dal is a cobra.
6. You all are worthless. You want reservation. I will remove your worthlessness. I will make you worthy.
7. If the Dalits were worthless, the Manuvad system would continue to remain dominant and the upper castes would continue to rule. If the dalits became worthy the upper castes would be toppled.
8. We should try to make efforts to live in palaces and obtain all the comforts of life. The dalit society should not remain attached to huts. We should become powerful and try to live like human beings.
9. I don’t want that you remain puppets and follow the dominant sections as their tails.
10. Our dalit society has become used to living as paupers. We are happy with whatever we have got and in whichever way we have got it. We should drop this habit and become aware of our responsibilities and duties.
11. Upper castes can join the party but the leadership will remain in the hands of the Dalits.
12. The upper castes ask us why we don’t take them in the party but I tell them that you are leading all the other parties. If you join our party you will prevent change.
13. I am scared to take upper castes in the party. They are status-quoists and always try to seize leadership. This will thwart the process of changing the system. Only when I will be rid of my fear will I allow them to join the party.
14. The members of the Congress party want to meet me. I have told them that they need not come if they want to give me anything. Yes, if they want something from me they are welcome.
15. Dalits will have to transform themselves from a community of beggars to one of givers.
16. All my brothers were physically very strong and always ready for a fight. Our family always rejected helplessness and were so arrogant that no one dared to touch us.
17. Rights are to be seized, not requested for, Requests are only granted as alms. All those who fight for their rights, I considered my own.
18. Ma, these books hold the keys to the doors of the country’s satta (ruling apparatus). I am looking for the keys.
19. I have learnt about the experiences of Ambedkar through his books. I have noted them down in my diary, I have always tried to learn from his bitter experiences.
20. The Untouchables of India have been the most miserable slaves for centuries. There is such a poisonous element within Brahmanism that it killed whatever desire there was of protesting against the worst kind of injustice.
21. We will not tolerate oppression but break the audacity of the tormentors.
22. History had taught us that Ashoka and Harshvardhan could carry forward the Buddhist religion only because they were kings and so the Dalits had to become rulers first.
23. I am a rustic man, and like a rustic person churns curd to produce butter, I, too, am churning society.
24. We are Chamars of Punjab. We are educated because of the Sikh religion. It is clear to me that I want to fight against the injustice perpetrated on the Chamars by the forward and upper castes.
25. Reservation is a tool to provide space to the Dalits in the present democratic structure.
I hope you like these quotes by Kanshiram, The founder of the Bahujan movement. Thanks for reading. Jai Hind.
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