CM Nayab Saini pays tribute to Ram Manohar Lohia on death anniversary
Synopsis
Key Takeaways
On the death anniversary of one of India's most consequential socialist thinkers, Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini paid tribute to Dr. Ram Manohar Lohia on Monday, October 12, 2026, honouring a freedom fighter whose ideas on equality and social justice continue to resonate across Indian political thought.
Posting in Hindi, CM Saini wrote: 'सामाजिक न्याय, समानता और जनहित के लिए अपना संपूर्ण जीवन समर्पित करने वाले प्रखर चिंतक एवं महान स्वतंत्रता सेनानी डॉ. राम मनोहर लोहिया जी की पुण्यतिथि पर उन्हें विनम्र श्रद्धांजलि।' — 'Humble tribute to the great thinker and freedom fighter Dr. Ram Manohar Lohia, who dedicated his entire life to social justice, equality, and public welfare, on his death anniversary.'
A life waged against inequality
Dr. Ram Manohar Lohia remains among the most singular voices in post-independence Indian politics. Born on 23 March 1910, he rose to prominence as a leader of the Indian National Congress's socialist wing before breaking away to champion a politics built on caste equity, women's rights, and resistance to concentrated power — in government and in society alike.
His death on 12 October 1967 in New Delhi cut short a career defined by civil disobedience, jail terms under both British and independent Indian governments, and an uncompromising insistence that political freedom meant nothing without social and economic equality for the marginalised.
The ideology that outlasted the man
CM Saini noted that Lohia's ideas 'gave voice to the rights of the deprived and exploited sections of society,' and that his commitment to fighting injustice and building 'an egalitarian society will forever inspire the nation.' That legacy is not merely historical — Lohia's framework of backward-caste mobilisation and his famous formulation of 'roti, kapda aur makan' as political demands shaped parties and movements across the Hindi heartland for decades after his passing.
His influence threads through the fabric of Indian coalition politics, making tributes from leaders across the ideological spectrum — including from the BJP's own leadership in states like Haryana — a regular feature of the October 12 anniversary.