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Uttar Pradesh minister Sanjay Nishad hits back at Samajwadi Party: ‘Worry about your existence, not ours’
Sanjay Nishad highlighted that the Nishad Party’s alliance within the NDA is one of equality and partnership
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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.
On Wednesday, Sanjay Nishad fired a fresh salvo at the SP and its leadership, telling them to stop fretting over his party’s political future and instead focus on their own shrinking base.
In a strongly worded post on X on Wednesday morning, Nishad invoked the proverb about people living in glass houses, advising SP leaders not to throw stones. He urged the “illiterate and lathi-wielding” elements in the SP to look into their own affairs rather than spreading rumours and making baseless comments about the Nishad Party.
“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.
Nishad highlighted that the Nishad Party’s alliance within the NDA is one of equality and partnership. He reminded SP leaders of the 2015 Kasrawal (Kasarwal) incident in Gorakhpur, alleging that they ordered firing on “innocent brothers” of the Nishad community who were demanding their rights.
“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.
“This brave community that took on the Mughals and the British never practised the politics of merely laying carpets for anyone,” he declared.
In a pointed personal jab, he advised the SP to first save its own existence instead of worrying about his political future.
“The question is not where Sanjay Nishad will go; the question is where will Shivpal Yadavji and Ramgopal Yadavji themselves go? The SP is continuously shrinking while the Nishad Party’s mass base is continuously expanding,” he said.
The sharp retort comes amid intense political speculation triggered by Nishad’s meeting two days earlier (Monday) with Samajwadi Party leader and Leader of Opposition Mata Prasad Pandey. Nishad described the interaction as a “courtesy visit” to enquire about the senior leader’s health and discuss current issues, including the recent Gonda murder case involving a Nishad community member. Photographs of the meeting were shared on social media, fuelling talk of a possible realignment ahead of the 2027 Uttar Pradesh assembly elections.
On Tuesday, Nishad had kept his options open, stating that when the Samajwadi Party closed its doors on him earlier, he joined the BJP.
“If the BJP also shuts its doors, we will have to consider other options. 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.
Wednesday’s salvo appears aimed at shutting down speculation that the Nishad Party is preparing to return to the SP fold, while simultaneously putting pressure on both major players. The exchange underscores the high-stakes bargaining underway in Uttar Pradesh politics as parties position themselves for the upcoming assembly polls, with caste equations and seat-sharing remaining central.
