Amit Shah attributes 2019 victory to ties with Nishads as BJP woos allies ahead of UP polls
LUCKNOW: With an eye on non-Yadav votes to secure more than 300 seats in the 2022 UP Assembly polls, the ruling BJP’s top brass, including Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Union Education and Skill Development Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, shared the stage with Sanjay Nishad, president of the Nirbal Indian Shoshit Hamara Aam Dal (NISHAD), at a huge rally of Nishads (fishermen) in Lucknow on Friday.
CM Yogi Aditiyanath and NISHAD
chief Sanjai Nishad in Lucknow | PTI
Seeking the support of Nishads, who belong to the Most Backward Castes (MBCs) in UP and depend mostly on rivers and water bodies for their livelihood, Shah attributed the BJP’s victory in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections to its alliance with the NISHAD party.
The Nishads have a sizeable presence in 152 of the 403 Assembly seats, especially in Purvanchal.
At the Lucknow rally, Shah said the BJP will address all issues concerning the Nishad community.
“This would also include the long- pending demand of reservation under the SC category.”
Lashing out at the Opposition, Shah said they “worked only for their own castes”, while the BJP worked for all.
“The BJP government stood solidly for the rights and welfare of Nishad and other backward class communities, which always got a raw deal under previous governments,” he said, adding that the BJP-NISHAD alliance will wipe out Samajwadi Party, BSP and Congress from UP.
Shah also invoked Lord Ram and his relationship with the Nishad community.
“They (Nishads) had offered Lord Ram their kingdom of Shringverpur during his 14-year exile,” he said.