In this series of upcoming elections in Rajasthan, the Nishad Party is strengthening its roots by forming a robust alliance with the NDA.
The party’s National President, Dr. Sanjay Kumar Nishad, who is currently a Cabinet Minister in the Uttar Pradesh government, arrived in Jaipur as part of his one-day visit. During this visit, he had an exclusive interview with The Daily Guardian. Presented below are edited excerpts from the interview.
Q: You have come to Rajasthan. In Uttar Pradesh, the Nishad Party has captured 11 seats as part of the NDA coalition. You are a cabinet minister there. What are the plans for the Nishad Party in Rajasthan?
A: See, the Nishad Party is part of the NDA’s allied groups. We want to work in line with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision. Today, I have come to Jaipur, and the first meeting has been organized here. We will now announce our state executive committee. Our goal is to make an NDA government in Rajasthan. I came here to raise awareness among fishermen. Even today, many fishermen are unaware that they are an important part of this society. Their votes are crucial for social change. Those communities who are aware of this fact are living in palaces, while those unaware are living in poverty.
Q: Has there been any discussion with the BJP regarding seat sharing in Rajasthan?
A: We are not focused on seat sharing, we work for victory. Our aim is to secure victory for the NDA, and that’s why I’m here. Uniting the fishing community to contest elections is our primary goal. As for seat sharing, we are currently assessing which seats we can contest. We will discuss that later. In the Uttar Pradesh elections, we contested some seats on the BJP symbol and others on the Nishad Party’s election symbol. However, we captured 11 seats there, and the Nishad Party had allied with 15 seats in Uttar Pradesh.
Q: What do you consider the most important for a political party to win elections?
A: A political party needs five weapons to succeed. First, they should have a party. Second, they should have good leaders within the party. Third, they should have a slogan that resonates with the public. Fourth, they should have a flag, and fifth, they should have their election symbol. The Nishad Party has made a name for itself in Uttar Pradesh. The party established its presence in Uttar Pradesh in the 2017 elections and made significant progress in the 2022 elections.
Q: In Rajasthan, you must have observed that the conditions of the BJP are such that former Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje has been sidelined. This doesn’t seem like a good sign for the BJP or the NDA.
A: Whether it’s the NDA or the BJP, they don’t sideline anyone. Vasundhara Raje is a former Chief Minister and a prominent face of Rajasthan. She is a national-level leader. Therefore, she will have an important role in the party, and this must have been planned accordingly. In Rajasthan, we will contest with strength and form a government with the BJP.
Q: Your party is a regional party. It is often seen that regional parties are limited to the problems of a particular region. In such cases, they may not fully benefit from government schemes when another organization is in power. What do you have to say about this?
A: See, when it comes to regional parties, there are issues everywhere, and regional parties are the ones that usually address these issues effectively. Regional parties reach the voters, instil enthusiasm in them, and then inspire them to vote in the right place. Prime Minister Narendra Modi himself has mentioned this and said that regional parties’ issues should be discussed. During the meeting of 39 parties in Delhi, he emphasized the importance of addressing the problems of regional organizations, stating that the work of regional parties had been done in several states.
Q: There are many issues within the fishing community. How do you view these problems, and how much work is the government doing on them? You have even received the title of “The Godfather of Fishermen.” Who else would understand their problems better than you?
A: Yes, you see, there were many problems before, but now, under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, excellent work is being done. Earlier, in the Uttar Pradesh government, there was a budget of only 3 thousand crores for fisheries. Today, under the Modi government, this budget has been increased to 39 thousand crores. A fishermen’s welfare fund has also been created. Our only commitment now is to make these people politically strong. For this, I have created a program called “Reach the Voter, Treat the Voter, Teach the Voter, and Cast the Voter.” If the voter knows what’s right for them, then political parties won’t be able to buy their votes with enticements.
