Chandigarh, March 17 -- The Punjab Vidhan Sabha on Monday unanimously passed a resolution demanding that the Union government confer the Bharat Ratna, India's highest civilian award, upon late Dalit icon and Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) founder Kanshi Ram. The resolution, which came a day after the Ropar-born leader's 92nd birth anniversary, led to an hour-long debate, with members across party lines, including the ruling AAP, Congress, and SAD, honouring his role in the socio-political awakening of the "Bahujan Samaj (the community of the majority). In a political and sociological context, it refers to the consolidated group of Scheduled Castes (SCs), Scheduled Tribes (STs), Other Backward Classes (OBCs), and religious minorities, who collectively form the demographic majority of India's population. Far from a mere commemorative gesture, the Bharat Ratna for Kanshi Ram is a strategic demand ahead of the Punjab assembly elections early next year. At 32%, Punjab has the highest percentage of the country's SC population, which could prove to be the influential swing factor in the state's 117 constituencies. Moving the resolution, finance minister Harpal Singh Cheema said, "Kanshi Ram ji played a monumental role in championing the ideology of Babasaheb Dr BR Ambedkar and carried the message of socio-economic equality to every household." Leader of Opposition (LoP), Partap Singh Bajwa, while hailing the ruling government for bringing the resolution, said the AAP government has taken a cue from Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's letter written to the Centre seeking Bharat Ratna for Kanshi Ram. Refuting Bajwa's claim, minister Aman Arora cited a 2016 news item referring to AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal's visit to Kanshi Ram's house in Ropar district, where he had sought the highest civilian honour for the BSP founder. Congress MLA Sukwinder Kotli demanded that a college announced by the previous government in Adampur in the name of Kanshi Ram should be built. SAD MLA Dr Sukhwinder Sukhi, BSP MLA Nachattar Pal also supported the resolution....