‘BJP should not betray Nishad community’: Sanjay Nishad

Interview/ Sanjay Nishad, minister of fisheries, Uttar Pradesh, and president, NISHAD Party

Q/ You raised the demand for scheduled caste status for your community in Delhi. What progress has been made?

Our demand is constitutional in nature. Securing constitutional rights and ensuring the implementation of the Constitution are the responsibilities of the Central government. Keeping these points in mind, we wanted to raise our voice at Talkatora.

The community’s stand is that the BJP should fulfil its promise. If it fails to do so, it could face the charge of betraying the community. We hope that such a situation does not arise. At present, the BJP is considering the issue, and discussions have begun.

Q/ Does that mean you could look beyond the NDA for an alliance?

The community is neutral on this issue. Its view is that we should remain with everyone and not lose our existing allies. The BJP will resolve the reservation issue.

Q/ You have tried to organise the Nishad community politically. How much is the community’s influence in the state?

There are 160 assembly constituencies where Nishads have a significant presence. Of these, we have around one lakh votes in 40 constituencies.

We have a presence in cities as well. Most major cities are situated along rivers, and Nishads traditionally live near rivers. Our influence, therefore, extends across the state.

Q/ Do you expect the BJP to give you more seats than it did last time?

Last time, I was given 16 seats that had previously been lost. We won 11. If they do not even give us those seats this time, it would raise questions about their intentions. If we are given those seats, we can build on our previous performance.

Q/ Do mainstream parties in Uttar Pradesh leave smaller parties with limited space? Can they still be ignored in today’s political climate?

A major party is dependent on smaller parties. I am talking specifically about Uttar Pradesh, where the Samajwadi Party and the Bahujan Samaj Party governments ruled for many years. There has been competition among castes in the state. Yadavs and Jats made political progress, while other communities fell behind.

These communities progressed because political parties were formed to represent their interests. That is why people joined the NISHAD Party.

Q/ In the recent MLC elections, the Samajwadi Party won five seats and the BJP, six. Does this indicate a change in the public mood?

MLC elections are not fought by political parties in the traditional sense. In these elections, the voter lists are effectively reset and fresh lists are prepared. The candidates play an important role in preparing these lists.

The BJP’s mistake was that it did not announce its candidates a year in advance, which would have given it enough time to build its voter lists. Wherever the BJP announced its candidates early, it won. The Samajwadi Party had declared its candidates two years in advance.

Q/ What do you think will be the key issues in the assembly elections?

The elections will be fought on the basis of a comparison between Uttar Pradesh before and since 2017. People will assess the government’s performance on law and order and welfare measures for the poor, including ration distribution, housing, medical care, Ayushman Bharat cards and employment opportunities.

Q/ What do you think of Akhilesh Yadav’s claim that he will form the next government?

They cannot form a government without alliance partners. They need allies who have an actual vote base. What is the use of parties that exist only on paper and do not even have the support of their own household members? Parties that have struggled, built organisations, led movements, raised public issues and been in power are the ones that can provide meaningful support. Such parties are not going to leave the BJP.