Lucknow, Jan 25 (IANS): Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav and Bahujan Samaj Party president Mayawati have now demanded that the Bharat Ratna should be conferred on their political icons too.

Akhilesh has sought that the Bharat Ratna should be conferred posthumously on leaders of the social justice movement, including Ram Manohar Lohia, B P Mandal, Chaudhary Charan Singh and Mulayam Singh Yadav.

He said these leaders fought to remove social disparity and uplift backwards, Dalits, minorities and the poor, all through their lives.

Yadav lauded the fact that the Modi government had conferred the Bharat Ratna on Bihar's prominent socialist leader Karpoori Thakur, who championed the cause of the backward classes and is called a 'Jannayak' or the people's hero.

Meanwhile, Mayawati has demanded the country's top civilian honour for BSP founder Kanshi Ram.

In a post on X, Mayawati said, the contribution of Kanshi Ram, the father and founder of BSP, in enabling Dalits stand on their feet is unforgettable. As per the wish of people it is necessary to honour him with Bharat Ratna, she said.