Kolkata, August 19: Praveen Nishad, the national convenor of the Nishad Party, stated on Wednesday that his party is committed to fighting for constitutional reservation, rights, and respect for the Nishad community. He expressed confidence that the issues related to reservation would soon be resolved.
In a conversation with reporters, Nishad emphasized, “We have come to strengthen the NDA. As the NDA grows stronger, our community is also becoming empowered alongside others.”
He noted that every segment of society that is poor, marginalized, exploited, or sidelined, and has been excluded from government representation and mainstream development, is being united by the Nishad Party, which advocates for their rights.
Reflecting on his political journey, Nishad mentioned, “Initially, we contested elections in alliance with the Samajwadi Party. When Akhilesh did not listen to us or address our community’s concerns, he was ousted from power.”
He added, “My father was a trainer in BAMCEF and helped form the government in collaboration with the BSP, but when the BSP also ignored our demands, they faced the same fate.”
Nishad highlighted that Uttar Pradesh is the most populous state, where the Nishad community, including groups like Kewat, Mallah, and Bind, constitutes about 24.75% of the total population. They reside along approximately 76 rivers and lakes across the state. Despite their significant population and geographical presence, they have yet to receive adequate representation.
On the issue of reservation, he stated, “Reservation is a sensitive matter for our community. At a recent event, the auditorium had a capacity of 3,000, yet at least 10,000 members from our community gathered. This shows the level of awareness and hope within our community. We fight for our rights. The community has made us their representatives and sent us to the Lok Sabha and Assembly, so we advocate for our community from the streets to Parliament.”
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