UP Polls: As part of Dalit outreach, leaders to visit Varanasi's Ravidas temple

Sant Ravidas Janamsthal Charitable Trust has sent invitations to many political leaders, including Varanasi MP and PM Modi

Amid the ongoing assembly polls in Uttar Pradesh politicians of all hues on Wednesday made a beeline at Seer Govardhanpur in Varanasi to attend Dalit icon Sant Ravidas's birth anniversary celebrations.

Prominent among those, who attended the event, including Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath, Punjab CM Charanjit Singh Channi, former Congress president Rahul Gandhi and his sister and party general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra.

Channi was the first to reach Seer Goavrdhanpur, the birthplace of Sant Ravidas, to pay obeisance at the Ravidas Temple and offered 'ardas' (prayer). The Punjab CM, who was banking on the support of the Dalit community, earlier paid obeisance at the famous Kashi Vishwanath Temple also.

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Adityanath also visited the Temple and took part in the 'langar' (community feast). He also garlanded the idol of Ravidas. Rahul and Priyanka, who arrived at the venue separately, paid obeisance at the Temple and also served meals to the people at the 'langar'.

Prime minister Narendra Modi was also invited to attend the celebrations but he could not attend the event. Modi, however, visited the Ravidas Temple in Delhi and took part in the 'kirtan' there.

Although many of the politicians had earlier also visited the Ravidas birthplace their visits assumed added significance owing to the ongoing assembly polls in UP, where Dalits formed around 20 per cent of the electorate. Polling in Punjab would take place on February 20 and Dalit community voters played a crucial role in deciding the winner there also.

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The significance of the event could be gauged from the fact the Election Commission (EC) had to change the schedule of Punjab assembly polls after almost all political parties cited the birth anniversary celebrations and urged the EC to change the date of the polls. The EC had earlier scheduled the Punjab polls for February 14.

BSP supremo Mayawati, however, termed the visit by the leaders of Congress, BJP and other parties, a 'stunt' aimed at garnering votes of the Dalits. ''It has been seen that those who paid obeisance at Ravidas Temple are the ones who often ignore the teachings of the Dalit saint,'' she said.

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