Lucknow: BSP national president Mayawati on Saturday paid tributes to social reformer Mahatma Jyotiba Phule on his birth anniversary and said that “in the memory and honour” of such a great man, who was born in the most backward class, BSP govt took many initiatives in UP, including designating Amroha as the new Jyotiba Phule Nagar district, but Samajwadi Party govt changed its name “due to their narrow-minded politics and casteist hatred”.“Especially as pioneers of women empowerment through education, the names of Mahatma Jyotiba Phule and his wife Savitribai Phule are etched in golden letters on the pages of history,” she said, and quoted the words of Phule, who said that “without knowledge, wisdom is lost; without wisdom, ethics is lost. Without ethics, progress is lost; without progress, wealth is lost. Without wealth, the Shudra becomes despondent and contemptible, and remains enslaved.”“All this happened due to the lack of education, and that is why, inspired by them, Babasaheb Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar later paid special attention to education,” she added.The BSP chief also said that in the mid-19th century, due to Mahatma Jyotiba Phule’s tireless efforts for the liberation of Dalits and the exploited, a new awakening for social change was ignited not only in Pune but across Maharashtra, and the historic work of women’s liberation and empowerment began, that is the struggle for which no praise or admiration can ever be enough.“Along with making Kasganj the Kanshiram Nagar district, BSP govt also created new districts named Ramabai Nagar for Kanpur Dehat, Bhimnagar for Sambhal, Prabuddha Nagar for Shamli and Panchsheel Nagar for Hapur. SP govt retained districts but changed their names. This is a very unfortunate face of their PDA,” said Mayawati.
