On the occasion of Maharshi Valmiki Jayanti, BJP MP Anurag Thakur turned to one of India's oldest epics to draw a lesson that feels pointedly contemporary — that true leadership means leaving no one behind. In a post on X on Sunday, 25 October 2026, the Hamirpur MP reflected on the Ramayana's enduring values of service, compassion, and social harmony.

Thakur wrote — 'महर्षि वाल्मीकि ने रामायण के माध्यम से हमें जीवन की गहरी सीख दी है' — ('Maharshi Valmiki has given us deep lessons for life through the Ramayana') — anchoring his message in the sage's original vision before turning to specific scenes from the epic that illustrate it. The post was tagged #MannKiBaat, linking the reflection to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's long-running radio and outreach programme.

Shabari's berries and Nishadraj's boat — the moments Thakur chose

Two episodes from the Ramayana carry most of the weight in Thakur's post. First, Mata Shabari — the tribal devotee whose tasted berries Bhagwan Ram accepted with affection, a gesture that erases the social distance between a king and a marginalised woman in a single, luminous act. Second, Nishadraj (also known as Guha), the tribal chieftain who ferried Ram across the Ganga and is remembered as a friend, not a servant.

Together, the two figures make a precise argument: that Ram's greatness lay not just in military victory but in the company he kept and the dignity he extended to those society might have overlooked. Thakur's framing — 'the spirit of moving forward together' — draws a straight line from these ancient scenes to a present-day political vocabulary of inclusive development.

Valmiki Jayanti and the BJP's cultural messaging pattern

Maharshi Valmiki, revered as the 'Adi Kavi' (first poet), is traditionally credited with composing the Sanskrit Ramayana. His Jayanti is observed on the full moon of the Hindu month of Ashwin — a date of particular significance for Scheduled Caste communities, as Valmiki is a venerated figure in the Valmiki Panth tradition followed by millions across northern India and the diaspora.

BJP leaders have consistently used Valmiki Jayanti to reinforce a narrative of cultural continuity and social inclusion drawn from classical texts. References to Shabari and Nishadraj are recurring touchstones in this messaging — both figures are from communities historically placed outside upper-caste hierarchies, and Ram's acceptance of each is cited as the epic's own argument against social exclusion. For a party that has made 'sabka saath, sabka vikas' (together with all, development for all) a governing slogan, the choice of these two figures over, say, a battlefield episode, is deliberate and legible.

Thakur's post arrived with two images attached — suggesting a designed, considered communication rather than an offhand remark — and the #MannKiBaat tag amplifies the message's reach into the programme's established listener base.

Valmiki's lesson, as Thakur reads it: the ideal of 'sab ko saath lekar chalna' — bringing everyone along — is not a modern political invention. It is, he argues, as old as the first poem ever written in Sanskrit.