Lucknow – The Uttar Pradesh government’s move to auction fishing rights in the Ganga River has drawn sharp criticism from the Nishad community, with the National Secretary and Spokesperson of the Rashtriya Nishad Sangh, Ch. Lautanram Nishad, accusing the ruling BJP of being anti-Nishad and anti-fisherfolk. He alleged that the government’s policies are systematically stripping the community of their traditional rights and livelihoods.
According to Lautanram Nishad, the Yogi Adityanath-led government has been auctioning off hereditary fishing rights, traditionally exercised by the Nishad and allied communities, to “feudal forces, mafias, and musclemen.” He said that the government’s decision to divide the Ganga into 4-5 km stretches and auction them for fishing violates Sanatan Dharma and the sacred status of the Ganga River, worshipped as a mother figure in Hindu tradition.
“The auction of Maa Ganga for fishing is not only a direct attack on our faith and cultural traditions but also a grave injustice to the Nishad community, who have depended on these rivers for centuries,” said Nishad. He also accused Sanjay Nishad, Minister of Fisheries and leader of the Nishad Party, of betraying the community for personal gain, calling his party a “private loot company of Sanjay Nishad and family.”
The government, through a January 10, 2019, order, initiated the auctioning process for fishing in the Ganga under reference number 1/2019/33/F-2-2019. Lautanram Nishad pointed out that the Ganga is an international and sacred river, with fishing historically carried out by the Nishad community without government intervention or stocking of fish. “No seeds or feed are provided by the government, and the river’s flowing nature prevents fish from staying in one place,” he said.
He warned that the auction would not only cause severe economic distress—leading to unemployment, poverty, and hunger among the Nishads—but also result in increased exploitation and social unrest. Citing letters from the Director of Fisheries dated August 22, 2024, he reiterated that the auction policy is discriminatory and harmful to the landless, marginalized Nishad-Kashyap-Bind communities.
Highlighting past opposition, Nishad recalled that similar auction policies introduced in 1992 by Kalyan Singh and in 2008 by Mayawati were rolled back due to strong protests by the Nishad community. He claimed that the same community played a key role in the political downfall of those governments and warned the BJP could face similar consequences in 2027 if the policy is not reversed.
“The Ganga flows through 27 districts and 75 Assembly constituencies from Bijnor to Ballia. These areas will decide the BJP’s fate in the next elections,” he asserted. The districts include Bijnor, Muzaffarnagar, Meerut, Amroha, Bulandshahr, Shahjahanpur, Kanpur, Prayagraj, Varanasi, and Ballia, among others.
The Nishad leader also criticized the scrapping of key community-focused measures by the current government, such as the holiday for Nishadraj Jayanti and the proposal for Scheduled Caste status for 17 marginalized communities sent by previous governments.
He concluded with a warning that if the government fails to withdraw the auction order, the Nishad community will be forced to launch a state-wide protest on the lines of “Do or Die.”
