Naresh Agrawal, who quit the Samajwadi Party and joined the BJP after being denied a chance to contest the Rajya Sabha election, targeted Jaya Bachchan yesterday at a press conference where his move to the BJP was announced.
Seething with resentment over being passed over in the race for the upper house of parliament, Mr Agrawal said: "For somebody who used to dance in films, act in films, I was denied a ticket (for Rajya Sabha). I did not find it appropriate."
Criticised by political parties across the board and lacerated on social media, Mr Agrawal today expressed "regret" for the comment. "If anyone was hurt by my comments, then I express regret," he told reporters. Asked whether he was apologizing, the politician shot back, "Do you understand the meaning of khed (regret)?"
He was sharply criticized even within the party he was just welcomed into with fanfare. Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj tweeted her strong disapproval: "Naresh Agrawal has joined BJP. He is welcome. However, his comments regarding Jaya Bachhanji are improper and unacceptable."
Comments
Anil Vij, a Haryana minister, remarked that Mr Agrawal "has not got over the culture of his previous party. He will take some time to adapt to our party's culture."A compulsive party hopper, Mr Agrawal started his political journey with the Congress and was part of successive BJP governments in UP in the 1990s. He debuted in the Rajya Sabha when he switched to Mayawati's Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP). Later he went to the Samajwadi Party and served a full term as its Rajya Sabha member.
