Taking a cue from the recent shoe-throwing incidents, “a BJP activist” today reportedly hurled his slippers (some reports said he hurled ‘khadaoon’ or wooden slippers) at his party chief and the prime ministerial candidate LK Advani when the latter was addressing a public meeting in Katni, about 100 km from Jabalpur in Madhya Pradesh. The party has denied the culprit, identified as Paras Agrawal, is a BJP activist.
“He is not a party worker. A few months ago, he was the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJP’s arm) head for Katni but was later sacked for working with the Congress and for not being mentally fit. A case has been lodged against him and he is being interrogated by the police,” Brijendra Singh Sisodia, deputy head of the party’s state unit and its spokesperson, said here.
A party source told BS Agrawal had been denied an Assembly ticket by the BJP.
Defending himself, Agrawal told a section of the media present at the spot: “God empowered me to commit the act.”
The act, which was apparently inspired by such recent episode involving Home Minister P Chidambaram, has been flayed by former chief minister Digvijay Singh.
Agrawal also flayed the BJP top brass: “Advani is wrongly promoted as ‘Lauh Purush’ (iron man) in contrast to his dual personality.” He said he was upset with the party’s decision to field Advani as the prime ministerial candidate, but could not express his views to anyone in the party as “all are Advani’s men”. He claimed that he had right to express his ire.
Agrawal claimed his action was not pre-planned.
