Lucknow, Sep 2 (IANS): The chief of Nirbal Indian Shoshit Hamara Aam Dal (NISHAD), Sanjay Nishad, on Monday showered praise on Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath for bringing a major turnaround in the state on economic, social and developmental parameters, crediting him for ushering in a progressive culture as opposed to the 'goon culture' that prevailed during Samajwadi Party's (SP) rule.

In an exclusive interaction with IANS, the NISHAD party chief talked on a range of topics, including Jamiat Ulema-i-Hind's plea against ‘bulldozer justice’ and caste census demand.

Here are excerpts from the interview:

IANS: What's your take on Yogi Adityanath saying RSS will never take a decision which will go against national interest?

Sanjay Nishad: I support the statement made by the UP CM. I also want to thank him for establishing the Indian culture in the state. Earlier, only goon culture existed in Uttar Pradesh. But, under Yogi Adityanath's leadership, UP is now back on the path of development. It was known as 'Bimaru Pradesh', but now it has turned into 'Uttam Pradesh'. Yogi Adityanath has worked on improving religious activities, politics and the society. There is no sector left in which Yogi Adityanath has not worked.

IANS: How do you see Jamiat Ulema-i-Hind's plea seeking to stop the trend of 'bulldozer justice'?

Sanjay Nishad: Jamiat Ulema-i-Hind worked closely with the Congress for more than 68 years in the country and for 30 years in Uttar Pradesh. Now, the properties which were captured illegally will be bulldozed. It does not matter if they are seeking the Supreme Court's intervention in this matter. What is illegal is illegal.

IANS: Rahul Gandhi claims that goons have been given freedom by the Centre while minorities, particularly the Muslims, are being suppressed. What’s your view?

Sanjay Nishad: Hindu-Muslim riots were common under Congress governments but that is no longer the case now. Today, Muslims are giving their land to build Ram Mandir. Congress is doing politics in the name of religion. That's why they are far from forming the government in the country.

IANS: A temple was recently vandalised in Varanasi. Akhilesh Yadav and the Opposition leaders claimed that many temples are being damaged in Uttar Pradesh. What's your take on the matter?

Sanjay Nishad: I don't know what has happened there, but I want to ask them that under their government, statues of Ambedkar were broken. Many names were changed during their governance. So first look at yourself before speaking about others.

IANS: What's your view on caste census?

Sanjay Nishad: First of all, there is a need to decrease the discrepancy. There were 70 lakh Scheduled Castes in 1961. Now, they have dropped to abysmally low levels. There is a need to decide whether castes will be counted on the basis of 'Backward Caste' or 'Scheduled Caste.' We are in support of it but on December 31, 2016, there was a notification in which Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav added few backward castes into the list of Scheduled Caste.