Youth emerge propellants of change for Nishads in UP's Purvanchal

GORAKHPUR: Nishads, this

Lok Sabha

elections, have emerged as a political force. Every political party is trying to woo the community. But it is going to be easier said than done for politicians.


Because, it’s full timers, youth aged between 20 years and 30 years, who play propellants of change for the community.

25-year old `full timer’ Dilip Nishad,`bind’ by caste and a law graduate, said, “My father is a practising lawyer in Mumbai. I have seen my father repair watches to fund his law course and also take care of us. Those memories aren’t pleasant. We deserve better. We had a glorious past.”

In UP,152 vidhan sabha seats and 19 Lok sabha seats are Nishad-dominated. In Gorakhpur, Nishads form 24.7% of total voters. They demand SC status for all generic and sub-castes of Nishads.

This is the first Lok Sabha election that Nishdas, as a consolidated force, are contesting under the banner of Nirbal Indian Shoshit Hamara Aam Dal (NISHAD) Party, and with a slogan, "Jiska dal uska bal; uski samasayaon ka hal (power rests with those who are a group, they only have a power to solve their problems)".

NISHAD party has given given vent to the youngsters in the community who, for a time being, have abandoned their homes and turned full timers to educate fellow men to use their right to vote judiciously. They have been ingrained of a new ideology called `rajvanshvaad’ (which refers to Nishad kings).

Deepu Nishad, 24-year old Delhi-graduate, a civil service aspirant and `kevat’ (boatman) by caste, said he has “sacrificed” for his men by abandoning his dream to be an IAS officer and turning a ‘full-timer’. “It doesn’t serve a purpose for me if I become an officer and others from my community are not even getting a two square meal easily.”

At 9.30 in the night, when TOI reporter checked into the party office at Sangam Chowk in busy Padri Bazaar area of Gorakhpur, where the party is headquartered, the cadre was busy finalising the plan for the next day though it was still a month for the Lok Sabha elections to go in Gorakhpur. Gorakhpur will vote on May 19.

“Every party worker has work hours defined. One can work for 6-hours, 12-hours or 24-hours,” said Nishad Rekha Kevat, a post graduate in political science and state president of women’s wing of the party in Madhya Pradesh.

Rekha, like others, is travelling within and outside her home states to mobilise cadre. “Women move in groups and men, mostly, individually. Whichever Nishad-dominated localities we go to, people offer us home and stay,” she added.

Among the experienced cadre, like Devmani Nishad, who gave up his job in a public sector bank after he became a full timer in 2013, the responsibilities shared are even mightier. “We dig out historical records related to Nishads and prepare campaign material. The same is referred to by our cadre when out in the field to educate our men.”

Nishad, he said, is a “sanskriti” (culture) and not caste. Communities who have traditionally lived along rivers are Nishads. British declared Nishads as criminals under the Criminal Tribes Act, 1871 and that is the reason why Nishads assumed different sub-castes over a period of time to hide their identity. UP has 153 sub-castes of Nishads while nationally, the number is over 570.

Being economically and socially backward, most Nishads work as migrant labourers instead of being involved in their traditional occupations of fishermen, boatmen, washermen and others.

“We want our traditional sources of income to be restored to us,” said Devmani.

NISHAD party has entered into an alliance with BJP this time. The party made its debut in UP assembly elections in 2017 and contested on 62 seats though it won only at Bhadohi.

The other seats in

Purvanchal

where Nishads are a formidable chunk of voters are Jaunpur, Azamgarh, Kushinagar, Ghosi, Deoria, Basti, Dumariyaganj, Salempur, Varanasi, Ballia and Sultanpur.

It was initially Rashtriya Nishad Ekta Parishad which was formed in January 2013 and later got registered as Nishad party in August 2016.