There is a famous saying that when you walk in the unexplored territory, walk slow. Former SP leader Naresh Agarwal got a taste of the phrase after joining the BJP today when Sushma Swaraj openly criticised his remarks on Jaya Bachchan. Being miffed with Samajwadi Party for not giving him the Rajya Sabha ticket, Naresh Agarwal joined the BJP on Monday. While announcing the development, Agarwal expressed his disappointment with SP, choosing Jaya Bachchan for the Rajya Sabha.

In a press conference, he crossed limits while criticising SP’s Rajya Sabha pick over him. However, this didn’t go down well with Senior BJP leader and External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj.

Naresh Agarwal explained the reason for abandoning SP, saying he was unhappy with the party’s current trend of weaving coalitions and he felt it was inappropriate to sideline him while giving the Rajya Sabha ticket to someone who works in film industry (apparently targeting Jaya Bachchan). Responding to this, Sushma Swaraj, said in a tweet, that comments by Naresh Agarwal were ‘improper’ and ‘unacceptable’. The gesture explicitly shows Sushma Swaraj keeps the dignity of a woman above politics.

Meanwhile, Naresh Agarwal, while joining the BJP, said he took the decision to switch from the SP to the BJP to serve the nation in a better manner. He further added that he was inspired by the vision and development works of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Agarwal also maintained that he sought no benefit from the BJP and his decision to join the saffron party wasn’t taken for a Rajya Sabha ticket.

Earlier this month, former Uttar Pradesh CM Akhilesh Yadav had announced Jaya Bachchan as the sole SP candidate for the Upper House.