Back I-T searches, but action could have been taken earlier: BJP ally Nishad

Nishad said this after SP chief Akhilesh Yadav played two purported videos of him and alleged that he had to change his stand “after he received a call from Delhi”.

Nishad Party chief Sanjay Nishad. (File)

Nishad Party chief Sanjay Nishad, an ally of the BJP, on Sunday said that while he supports the I-T searches against SP leaders, he believes that the action could have been taken earlier. Nishad said this after SP chief Akhilesh Yadav played two purported videos of him and alleged that he had to change his stand “after he received a call from Delhi”.

In one of the purported videos, Nishad is heard questioning the timing of the searches by the I-T on Saturday and saying, “It (the timing) is definitely not right. If the raids had to be done, they should have been done six months ago. They would not have become criminals in a day. If one has black money, it would have been for years. Where were the officers earlier? This will lead to anger among their people and they will vote against the government.”

In the second purported video, Nishad is heard saying, “I support the raids done today. Such corrupt people should face action… These are the same people who commit atrocities against the Nishad community. We support the government on the action taken. A channel had distorted my statement.”

Speaking to The Indian Express, Nishad said, “I had said that I am in support and also, oppose it. If there are any criminals, action should be taken. I feel some officers are wrong that they should have done it earlier. My language was a little different. I had questioned the timing. I was saying the same thing.”

Asad Rehman

Asad Rehman is with the national bureau of The Indian Express and covers politics and policy focusing on religious minorities in India. A journalist for over eight years, Rehman moved to this role after covering Uttar Pradesh for five years for The Indian Express. During his time in Uttar Pradesh, he covered politics, crime, health, and human rights among other issues. He did extensive ground reports and covered the protests against the new citizenship law during which many were killed in the state. During the Covid pandemic, he did extensive ground reporting on the migration of workers from the metropolitan cities to villages in Uttar Pradesh. He has also covered some landmark litigations, including the Babri Masjid-Ram temple case and the ongoing Gyanvapi-Kashi Vishwanath temple dispute. Prior to that, he worked on The Indian Express national desk for three years where he was a copy editor. Rehman studied at La Martiniere, Lucknow and then went on to do a bachelor's degree in History from Ramjas College, Delhi University. He also has a Masters degree from the AJK Mass Communication Research Centre, Jamia Millia Islamia. ... Read More

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