LUCKNOW, Feb. 28 -- Stepping up its outreach to Dalits and other marginalised communities ahead of the 2027 Uttar Pradesh assembly elections, the Samajwadi Party (SP) has announced that it will celebrate the birth anniversary of Kanshi Ram as 'PDA Diwas' or 'Bahujan Samaj Diwas' across the state on March 15 this year. The party's Baba Saheb Ambedkar Vahini has been tasked with organising programmes at district headquarters across the state. Taking to social media, SP president Akhilesh Yadav said that 'PDA Diwas' was a new beginning symbolically dedicated to all the great individuals of the community who never supported any hegemony in pursuit of the dignity, uplift and equality of every oppressed, distressed, and humiliated individual. However, the move drew a sharp reaction from Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) supremo Mayawati, who termed it "mere drama". The SP's outreach to Dalits has evolved over the years, moving from symbolic gestures to structural inclusion. In 2019, the party began observing the anniversaries of Dr BR Ambedkar and Kanshi Ram, and installed Ambedkar's bust alongside that of Ram Manohar Lohia at its headquarters. On December 6 last year, it also announced to observe Ambedkar's Parinirvan Diwas (death anniversary) on a grand scale across the state. Ram Babu Sudarshan, national general secretary of the Samajwadi Party Baba Saheb Ambedkar Vahini, said Mayawati's remark insulted the sentiments of millions from Bahujan, backward, Dalit and minority communities. He said Ambedkar Vahini officials and workers would ensure its success....