On a Monday morning in Jodhpur, Union Culture and Tourism Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat joined a BJP-organised procession and pledge ceremony honouring the 650th Prakatya Varsh — the birth commemoration year — of Sant Shiromani Guru Ravidas Maharaj, the revered 15th-century Bhakti saint whose message of equality still resonates across millions of homes in India.

Shekhawat participated in the Kalash Vandan Rath Yatra (sacred-vessel salutation chariot procession) and the 'Samarasta Sankalp Abhiyan' — a 'social harmony pledge campaign' — on 10 August 2026, calling on those gathered to internalise Guru Ravidas's ideals of equality, harmony, and human welfare.

Guru Ravidas and the message Shekhawat invoked

Guru Ravidas, born in the Varanasi region in the 15th century, was among the foremost voices of the Bhakti movement — a poet-saint who challenged caste hierarchy through devotional verse and preached that the divine resides in every human being regardless of birth. His teachings remain a living tradition, especially among Scheduled Caste communities across north and western India. Shekhawat's address urged attendees to carry that spirit of samrasta — social harmony — into their daily lives.

BJP's Jodhpur leadership turns out in force

The ceremony drew a notable gathering of local BJP figures. Former MP Rajendra Gehlot, BJP District President Rajendra Paliwal, and District In-charge Veermadev Singh were present, alongside former JDA Chairman Dr. Mahendra Singh Rathore, former Vice-Chairman of the Scheduled Caste Commission Vikesh Kholia, Mahesh Chauhan, and Rajeev Barasa. The breadth of the turnout — spanning elected representatives, party organisers, and a former SC Commission official — underlined the event's dual character as both cultural commemoration and community outreach.

BJP's pattern of Bhakti-saint outreach in Rajasthan

This event fits a deliberate pattern. The BJP has periodically anchored large-format ceremonies around Bhakti saints — Ravidas, Kabir, Mirabai — framing their messages of social equality as consonant with the party's own samrasta plank. In Rajasthan, where Scheduled Caste voters form a significant share of the electorate, such programmes serve as a visible bridge between cultural commemoration and political presence. A Union minister's participation elevates the local event to the national register, lending it both symbolic weight and media visibility.

Jodhpur is Shekhawat's own Lok Sabha constituency — making his attendance less a visit and more a homecoming, one that doubles as grassroots mobilisation on familiar ground.