Practice Ravidas’s teachings, Mayawati tells Modi

Lucknow: Eulogising Sant Ravidas as the true crusader against ‘casteism’ and ‘parochialism’, former Uttar Pradesh chief minister and BSP supremo Mayawati gave a left-handed compliment to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other leaders for paying obeisance at a temple in Varanasi.

‘’It is good if Modi and other leaders bow their heads at Sant Ravidas temple but what is more important is that the ideals and principles of the saint should also be imbibed in practice,’’ she said on Monday on the occasion of 639th birth anniversary of Sant Ravidas.

Sant Ravidas always tried to break shackles of casteism and his relentless efforts won him disciples like Meerabai and Maharani Jhala, said Ms Mayawati.

Highlighting how the BSP took pro-active measures to bring his preachings into practice, she said it was her government in Uttar Pradesh which named a district after the saint, besides launching various projects in his name.

The BSP supremo was particularly harsh on the ruling Samajwadi Party in UP and said it had no moral right to pay homage to great social reformer Sant Ravidas as it had changed the name of Sant Ravidas Nagar district to Bhadohi.

Besides PM Modi, Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal is also scheduled to visit Sant Ravidas temple at Seer Govardhan in Varanasi later in the day.