There were also political allies who had parted ways not so amicably — BJP leaders Arun Jaitely, Kalraj Mishra and Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, JD(U) leader George Fernandes, among others.

But perhaps it was the ceaseless wave of Kanshi Ram’s followers — the Dalits whom he gave a powerful voice to — who testify to their leader’s accomplishments and triumph. As they jostled, pushed and filed into the party office for a last look at their leader, amidst the sounds of Buddhist chants and gongs, it was a stunning spectacle today, of quiet vigour and vitality of their new identity — of inclusiveness, empowerment and privilege.

If, in the villages it is the poor peasantry, wretched in their subjugation and poverty, in the cities, Kanshi Ram’s devotees are the bedrock of bureaucratic India — the vast, faceless, white-collar workers, subordinates and clerks, who he first enrolled as part of his mission, called BAMSEF (Backward and Minority, Scheduled Caste Employees Federation). They came in hundreds, from public sector banks and insurance companies, post offices to courier companies, from VSNL to BSNL, Indian oil companies to Indian railways, co-operatives to commissions, police force and judiciary offices, to express their gratitude and indebtedness to their leader who made life possible.

It is stunning in its revelation, the thudding heart of the BSP constituency, alive and kicking, with its reach, influence, comfort and sway. Kanshi Ram had adroitly set up the BAMSEF for SC government employees, the only socio-economically empowered workforce among the caste, so that they are not penalised for being associated with a political party. BAMSEF employees contribute Rs 5 of their salary every month to th BSP coffers.

It was a visibly shaken Mayawati who addressed the mourning crowds when she read out Kanshi Ram’s last wishes. “Kanshi Ramji will be cremated according to Budhhist rites,’’ she said. “His ashes will not be strewn in the Ganga or Yamuna, but will be kept permanently in the BSP headquarters in Delhi and in Lucknow.’’

But the solemnity and somberness soon gave way to prudence and pragmatism as rumours of a family confrontation began to swirl around the funeral grounds. The BSP commandant ordered for the cortege to move out of the party headquarters within 20 minutes of its arrival, to the cremation ground, as Kanshi Ram’s family members alleged foul play and murder, and demanded a police probe.

But as the 20-year-old mechanical engineering student, Prem Prakash Bharti said, “Nothing can stop the force that Kanshi Ramji has unleashed. Mayawati is, and will continue to be our leader today.’’