He was the first to raise his voice against Brahmans in Maharashtra in the 1870s
Phule through his book Ghulamagiri (1872) and his organization Satyashodhak Mandal, proclaimed the need to save the lower castes from the hypocritical Brahmans and their scriptures
The urban educated Marathas were his most ardent followers
His Satyashodhak Mandal contained both an elite based conservative trend and a genuine mass-based radicalism
Rahimtulla M. Sayani was “Second Muslim” to become the “President of Indian National Congress” after Badruddin taiyyabji. He was also a member of the Bombay Municipal Corporation and was the Sheriff of Bombay in 1885.