Gorakhpur (Uttar Pradesh) [India], March 23 : Uttar Pradesh Minister Sanjay Nishad broke down in tears during a public rally on Sunday in Gorakhpur, triggering a sharp response from Samajwadi Party (SP) president Akhilesh Yadav.
Addressing a large gathering, an emotional Nishad accused the opposition parties of aiding criminals, contrasting it with "bulldozer" justice after he raised the same issues in the Assembly House.
Calling for people to "destroy" those who ruined the Nishad community with votes, he alleged that the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and the Samajwadi Party are "taking the share" of the community.
"When your daughters' honour is taken away, this opposition stands with the accused. When I raise my voice in the House, then bulldozers are used against the accused and your daughter gets justice...Upper-caste people are not taking their share. The SP and BSP are doing it. You pressed the elephant button, and your livelihood was taken away," he said.
The minister expressed his gratitude to Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath for raising the issues of the Nishad community in the Assembly. "He said that Nishads should get their rights," he emphasised.
Nishad's emotional display quickly drew a response from Akhilesh Yadav, who took to X to question the sincerity of the tears, further making a sarcastic remark.
"Are these tears of remorse for joining the BJP, or of atonement? The pain is increasing... the sufferers are multiplying... that's why the PDA is growing. The public is saying that the song we hear in the background of this video--is it our illusion or the truth: 'Hum the Jinke Sahare Wo Huye Na Hamare," Yadav said in his post.
PDA is the SP party's ideology, which refers to working for "Pichchde, Dalit, Alpsankhyak" (Backwards Classes, Dalits, and Minorities).
Speaking to ANI in Gorakhpur, Sanjay Nishad announced a large-scale celebration of the birth anniversary of 'Nishad Raj', claiming that the Nishad community had been intentionally marginalised by previous governments.
"Since we are a Scheduled Caste in the Constitution, an order should be issued to count us in the Scheduled Caste...In 2013, when the Samajwadi Party was in power, education was snatched... If anyone has raised the voice of the Nishads, it is CM Yogi Adityanath," he said.