A day after Uttar Pradesh fisheries minister and Nishad Party chief Sanjay Nishad had stated that if the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party closed the door on him, he would explore options, Nishad fired back at the Samajwadi Party (SP) indicating that his position in the NDA was strong and firm.
“The question is not where Sanjay Nishad will go; the question is where will Shivpal Yadavji and Ramgopal Yadavji themselves go? “If the BJP also shuts its doors, we will have to consider other options.
“Instead of wasting time worrying about the seats the Nishad Party will get, they should first sit with the Congress and settle the division of their own seats,” Nishad wrote. He claimed SP’s own people are on the verge of breaking away and asserted that the Nishad Party does not need any “support” from the Samajwadi Party. On the contrary, he said the SP has itself failed so far to secure even the Congress’s support as a crutch. “The Nishad society has never forgotten the sacrifice of its martyrs and the atrocities,” he said, cautioning those responsible not to pose as well-wishers of the community today. Emphasising the self-respect of the fishing community, Nishad said fishermen have politics and pride in their blood and believe only in equal participation. The SP is continuously shrinking while the Nishad Party’s mass base is continuously expanding,” he said. We will remain with whoever resolves the issues of the Nishad community,” he had said, while pressing for more seats and fulfilment of long-pending demands such as reservation for the community.
