Don’t be party to undignified talk
The BJP will find it difficult to explain Naresh Agarwal’s entry
Uttar Pradesh politician Naresh Chandra Agarwal is a good example of what a politician should not be. Or maybe he is a good example of what a successful politician should be. Agarwal is proof that while a rolling stone gathers no moss, it , at least, gets to go to places other, stationary stones can’t. And so, Agarwal has been on a roll. With the exception of a few, he has warmed the benches of almost all political parties in the Hindi heartland in a career spanning more than three decades. He started with the Congress in 1980, but grew disenchanted with the party soon. By 1989, he was contesting as an Independent candidate. He went back to the Congress only to later form the Loktantrik Congress. From there he joined the Samajwadi Party; later he broke ranks with the SP to join Mayawati’s BSP. Then he went back to the SP. And on Monday, this “rolling stone” joined the BJP. For much of this time, Agarwal has managed to be with the party in power, which seems to be his political philosophy as well. At the time of going to press, Agarwal is still in the BJP, though he has been criticised by senior party leaders for his sexist statement made on Monday.
The BJP will find it difficult to explain how a politician like Agarwal fits into its agenda. He has caused much embarrassment and his expression of “regret”, on Tuesday, appears to be nothing more than a lame attempt to deflect political heat for his statement. Agarwal is the latest of turncoats to join the BJP, but unlike others, he stands out. He is infamous for his obnoxious statements, the latest seen on Monday. In 2013, he made derogatory statements against PM Narendra Modi; last July, he ridiculed Hindu gods; in December, he likened Kulbhushan Jadav to a terrorist; and, in January, he mocked Muslim women who came to witness the tabling of the triple talaq bill in Rajya Sabha.
Agarwal has a dubious political rap sheet. The only thing, perhaps, worth being envious about is his collection of tippets given by the many political parties he has joined and left. Without doubt, Agarwal brings with him a richness of embarrassment to the BJP.