Uttar Pradesh fisheries minister and Nishad Party national president Sanjay Nishad on Wednesday used his ‘Dilli Chalo’ rally in Delhi to press the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for a decision on the demand for Scheduled Caste (SC) reservation for the Nishad community, renewing his warning that his party could explore other political options if the issue remained unresolved.
Nishad Party workers from across Uttar Pradesh gathered at Talkatora Stadium for the ‘Constitutional Rights Maha Sammelan’, held a day after Vijayadashami. The Nishad Party, an ally of the BJP in Uttar Pradesh, has long sought the inclusion of various fishermen sub-castes in the SC list. Nishad, a Cabinet minister in the Yogi Adityanath government, made it clear that patience was wearing thin. “I am waiting for a clear answer from the BJP on whether it will implement reservation or not. The day the BJP closes the door on this issue, I am free to pursue our demand independently.
Targeting Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav, Nishad referred to his recent remarks about the seats won by former allies in the 2022 assembly elections. He said his son Praveen Nishad’s victory in the 2018 Gorakhpur Lok Sabha bypoll was made possible by the Nishad Party and the Peace Party.
Calling the occasion the community’s own Vijayadashami, Nishad said true victory would come only when the long-pending demand for Machhua reservation was fulfilled. We are ready to discuss our issues with any political party,” he said.
