Naresh Agrawal attacks 'film wali' Jaya Bachchan after joining BJP

NEW DELHI: Shortly after joining the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), former Samajwadi Party leader Naresh Agrawal on Monday hit out at actor-turned-politician Jaya Bachchan for getting a ticket for the upcoming Rajya Sabha elections, slated to be held on March 23.

"Films mein kaam karne wali se meri hesiyat kardi gayi, unke naam par humara ticket kataa gaya, maine isko bhi bahut utchit nahi samjha. Meri koi shart par nahi aya, koi Rajya Sabka ki ticket ki maang nahi hai (I was put at par with a film actor. My ticket was given to her. I have not come (to BJP) on any condition. I do not want a ticket to Rajya Sabha)," he said.

In a jolt to the Samajwadi party, senior leader Naresh Agrawal joined the BJP in the presence of Union minister Piyush Goyal.

Agrawal, who earlier was the general secretary of the Samajwadi Party and a Rajya Sabha member, was reportedly unhappy with the party president and former Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav for giving the Rajya Sabha ticket to Jaya Bachchan.

Last week, Jaya Bachchan was picked as the Samajwadi Party nominee for the Rajya Sabha elections from the state of Uttar Pradesh.

Calling Bachchan a loyal leader, Rajya Sabha MP Amar Singh had said that she deserves to be the Samajwadi Party's candidate for the upcoming Rajya Sabha polls.

Bachchan was chosen over Naresh Agrawal who has served as Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) from Hardoi constituency seven times.

"Naresh Aggarwal has joined many parties. He started his career in Congress. He was a member of the cabinet of Rajnath Singh. Then intermittently he was in Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and then he came in Samajwadi Party. He is widely experienced," Singh had said.

"So far Jaya Bachchan is concerned, she was consistently loyal to the Samajwadi Party and to the party`s system. She has been loyal to the hierarchy of the SP. So she has proven to be a better politician than Naresh Aggarwal," he hag added.

Bachchan is a three-time MP and was first elected to the Upper House by the Samajwadi Party in 2004 until March 2006. She got a second term from June 2006 and was re-elected in 2012 for the third term. Her third term comes to an end on April 3.