Naresh Agarwal joins BSP, made Gen Sec

Lucknow, May 28: Four days after his resignation from the Samajwadi Party (SP), former Uttar Pradesh minister Naresh Agarwal today shook hands with the ruling Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) in the presence of its supremo Ms Mayawati, who appointed him the party's general secretary.

Welcoming Mr Agarwal to her party, UP chief minister and BSP President also declared his candidature from the Farrukhabad Lok Sabha seat in the coming general elections.

Nitin, son of Naresh, who hails from Hardoi district, has also been declared the BSP candidate from Hardoi assembly constituency in the bypoll, which is necessiated after Naresh's resignation from the membership of Vidhan Sabha.

Earlier this month, Congress leader and former Union Minister Akhilesh Das had also joined the BSP.

In her brief address, Ms Mayawati said Naresh left SP after his differences with the party ideology and the leader's induction in BSP would benefit the party. Other party general secretaries Satish Chandra Mishra and Akhilesh Das, state BSP President Swami Prasad Maurya, senior minister Naseemuddin Siddiqui and other senior ministers were present at the joining ceremony organised at a five star hotel of the state capital.

Naresh, often charged with being an opportunistic politician having deserted parties to remain in power, has earlier been with Congress before leaving it to form his own party Uttar Pradesh Loktantik Congress.

He had been the Power minister in the Kalyan Singh-led Bhratiya Janata Party (BJP) government in the state and later the Transport Minister in the Mulayam Singh Yadav regime.

He had joined the SP after merging his party with the former.

The newly entrant in BSP said after wandering around for 28 years, he had found the right party, where he wished to spend rest of his political life.

Mr Agarwal said he had to leave SP, because the party had become limited to one family and the principles of Lohia had been put on the back burner, while film actors were presently ruling the roost.

Without naming SP general secretary Amar Singh, Mr Agarwal said the over-powering influence of one person had ruined the the party and he had to face humiliation on several occasions, which triggered off his exit from there.

The leader assured the BSP chief that he would leave no stone unturned to disseminate the ideology of 'Sarva Samaj' to all corners and follow the party's principles in the most earnest manner.

UNI