Ballia, 09 July (HS): Following protests by Congress workers

over his earlier alleged derogatory remarks about Ballia, state cabinet

minister Sanjay Nishad hit back, saying that Ballia is not anyone's father's

land. Speaking to reporters on Thursday, Nishad said that he had visited Ballia

before and would continue to do so. Ballia is a revolutionary land. The British

came to Ballia via the river, and our community was the first to oppose them.

The British government categorized the communities that fought them as

criminals. He said that we are people who respect everyone. Clarifying his

earlier statement, he said that he had called the people of Ballia

revolutionaries, not traitors. Rather, he had called those who colluded with

the British to fire on nationalist leaders as traitors.

He attacked the Congress party without naming it, saying

that Ballia had seen no development during their tenure. A lot of work has been

done since the NDA government came to power at the center and in the state. For

the first time, Ballia will be connected to major cities in the country.

Hindusthan Samachar / Abhishek Awasthi