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Decide on SC quota or we will explore other options: Nishad warns BJP again
Nishad Party workers from across Uttar Pradesh gathered at Talkatora Stadium for the ‘Constitutional Rights Maha Sammelan’, held a day after Vijayadashami. 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.
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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. 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.
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.
He claimed that both the BJP and former ally Samajwadi Party were now keen on keeping the Nishad Party on their side, but insisted that the reservation issue was non-negotiable.
“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. We are ready to discuss our issues with any political party,” he said.
He urged the BJP, which holds power at both the Centre and in the state, to make an early decision, warning that indefinite delay would force the party to “look at another door.”
Any final decision on alliances, he added, would be taken only after consulting the core committee and gathering opinions from all 75 districts.
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.
The Nishad Party chief acknowledged internal challenges, claiming that attempts were being made to weaken the party from within and that his son Praveen’s electoral setback was orchestrated to prevent him from consolidating his position in Sant Kabir Nagar.
He reiterated that the party’s future political course would be decided collectively, with his demand for SC reservation for the Nishad community remaining central to its decisions.
