On Tuesday, 8 January, several media outlets incorrectly reported that liquor bottles were served in lunch packets at an event organised by a “BJP” lawmaker in Uttar Pradesh’s Hardoi on Monday.
The lawmaker in question, Nitin Agarwal, is in fact an MLA from the Samajwadi Party. His father, Naresh Agarwal, a BJP member who was formerly an MP in the Rajya Sabha, however, was also present at the event – which seems to be the source of the confusion.
Other news portals refrained from mentioning that Nitin belongs to the SP, simply referring to him as the BJP leader’s son.
Although news coverage of Nitin defecting to the BJP along with his father was widely reported last year, technically, he is still an MLA from the Samajwadi Party.
During a press conference held last year, Agarwal had also announced that his son Nitin, would vote for the BJP in the biennial elections to the Rajya Sabha, triggering cries of defection.
The Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly official website also enlists him as an MLA from Hardoi belonging to the Samajwadi Party.
Nitin, while speaking to The Times of India, confirmed the fact and said that he is “a BJP supporting SP MLA”.
Had he tendered his resignation to the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly, a re-election would’ve been called for his constituency – as per the anti-defection law.
WHAT HAD HAPPENED IN HARDOI?
Nitin Agarwal had organised a sammelan for the local Pasi community at the Shravan Devi temple in Hardoi. Both Naresh and Nitin were present at the event when the lunch packets with liquor bottles were served to the villagers.
In a video that has gone viral, Nitin can be seen announcing from the dais that the food packets would be handed over to the village head who would, in turn, distribute them among villagers.
The lunch packets, that also contained liquor bottles, were also distributed among minor boys who had come to attend the event.
After the incident came under the media’s lens, BJP MP from Hardoi Anshul Verma had slammed the event and promised action against those responsible:
“I will call the event condemnable because we had distributed pens among these boys and inspired them towards enlightenment, trying to merge them with the mainstream. By pushing them away from it and mocking our efforts by handing over liquor bottles to them is condemnable. I will write to the top leadership about this incident and also meet them personally and ensure action is taken against officials responsible for it.”Anshul Verma, BJP MP from Hardoi
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