With SP not nominating him to RS, Akhilesh aide Naresh Agrawal joins BJP

He was angry over nomination of film actor Jaya Bachchan by the Samajwadi Party for a Rajya Sabha seat, ignoring his claim

Samajwadi Party's Rajya Sabha member Naresh Agrawal on Monday joined the BJP, saying "dancers and film actors were preferred over him for the nominations for the upper house of Parliament".

"My comparison was drawn with those working in films... I was rejected for those who dance in films, work in films. I found it not proper. Nobody found it proper," Agrawal, who was the SP's Rajya Sabha member, said.

He was referring to the nomination of film actor Jaya Bachchan by the Samajwadi Party for a Rajya Sabha seat from Uttar Pradesh in the coming biennial elections, ignoring Agrawal's claim. His term in the upper house is coming to an end shortly.

 

Describing his joining the BJP as "homecoming", he said he would unconditionally do whatever the party wanted him to.

"I have not joined the Bharatiya Janata Party for any Rajya Sabha ticket, nor have I set any condition."

Agrawal, who has been one of the most vocal critics of the Narendra Modi government and the BJP in the Rajya Sabha in the last few years, lauded the Prime Minister and BJP chief Amit Shah.

Agrawal has often changed parties in the last over 30 years of his political career.

He had earlier been with the Akhil Bhartiya Loktantrik Congress with Jagdambika Pal, Rajeev Shukla and Shyam Sunder Sharma that allied with the BJP government headed by Kalyan Singh in Uttar Pradesh in 1997.