UP minister Sanjay Nishad breaks down at rally, vows resignation over SC status demand for Nishad community

GORAKHPUR: Demanding Scheduled Caste (SC) status for the Nishad community, Uttar Pradesh minister Sanjay Nishad broke down on stage during a rally on Sunday, saying he will resign if the demand is not granted. Launching what he said was a clarion call for the 2027 Assembly elections, Nishad led a motorcycle rally of around 3,000 riders in Gorakhpur and later addressed a state convention of the Nishad Party, which is an ally of the ruling NDA in Uttar Pradesh, at Mahant Digvijaynath Park. During his address, Nishad became visibly emotional, alleging injustice against his community. "Our votes are being taken away. The dignity of our sisters and daughters is being violated. We need to become stronger," he said, urging supporters to unite and strengthen the party. He said the Nishad Party would organise four major rallies across the state to press for inclusion of the fishing community, which currently comes under the Other Backward Classes, in the SC category. "Our population should be counted among Scheduled Castes. This is our constitutional right," said Nishad, who is the fishing minister in the state. The minister accused previous governments of neglecting the community, alleging that the Samajwadi Party deprived them of education, the Bahujan Samaj Party of hurting their livelihood and blamed the Congress for not offering any help on the matter. Nishad said his party has been in talks with the Centre and the BJP-ruled state government on the issue, and that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah have been "serious about addressing the demand". He also demanded that 9 per cent quota from the OBC category be reallocated to the SCs to ensure better access to education and jobs for the community. Thanking Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Nishad expressed hope that the state government would consider the demand sympathetically. The rally and convention were organised on the birth anniversary of Maharaja Guhyaraj Nishad, considered an ancestor and idol of the community. The event was attended by party leaders and workers from across the state. Nishad said his party, formed a decade ago, remains committed to securing reservation and other rights for various sub-castes within the fishing community. He also highlighted welfare measures undertaken by the fisheries department, claiming that over 70,000 fishermen have benefited from schemes such as the Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana and other state initiatives.