Lucknow: Nishad Party is set to showcase its strength on April 17 when it will lay the foundation stone for the 180-ft tall statue of Nishadraj, the king of Nishads, at Nishadraj Fort in Shringverpur, Prayagraj.
According to workers, the party is determined to restore the lost glory of the Nishad king. Mythology has it that Nishadraj was the friend, host and confidante of Lord Ram.
“Nishad Party is making people aware about the event. The first phase of panchayat elections are over and people are also free of agricultural work,” said founder-president of the party, Sanjay Nishad.
“The event will be held as per plan on April 17 to mark the birth anniversary of Nishadraj. He was born on Chaitra Shukl Panchmi and was four days older than Lord Ram,” he said. Nishad Party has also planned a ‘bullet yatra’ (motorcycle rally) and a ‘padyatra’ to mark the occasion. The foundation laying for Nishadraj’s statue will also mark the start of party’s campaign for state assembly elections due next year.
The party has been celebrating the birth anniversary of Nishadraj since 2013. To bring Nishad community under one roof, Rashtriya Nishad Ekta Parishad was formed in Gorakhpur in January 2013. Nishad (Nirbal Indian Shoshit Hamara Aam Dal) Party was registered in August 2016 and contested UP assembly elections for the first time in 2017.
The party caters to non-Yadav OBCs and has a following among those who find themselves a misfit in politics centred around upper castes, SCs and Yadavs.
That Nishads have emerged into a consolidated chunk of voters in UP is clear from the fact that every political party wants to win them over. In 2019 Lok Sabha elections, SP-BSP-RLD combine wanted Nishad Party as an ally but the deal could not be sealed and the party alligned with BJP. However, Nishads are now upset with the BJP government for not fulfilling its promise to accord SC status to the community.
Installing the statue of Nishadraj, when the Yogi government has already proposed beautification of Nishadraj Fort, is party’s effort to come on its own. “Nishadraj Fort in Shringverpur is in a bad shape. Nishadraj gave his army to Lord Ram which helped him defeat demon king Ravana. Political parties have also been using Nishads as a ‘sena’. It is high time that the community withdrew its support from these political parties and become powerful on its own,” said Sanjay Nishad.