BJP leader and former Rajya Sabha MP Naresh Agarwal on Sunday said that the local BJP leadership in his home district of Hardoi, UP, don’t treat him well even when he has been in the party for five years now.

His son and four-time MLA Nitin Agarwal is a minister of state with independent charge in the Yogi cabinet in Uttar Pradesh.

“I joined BJP five years ago and yet the local BJP leadership treats me and my son as untouchables,” a miffed Agarwal told ET. “Whenever I or my son organise a program, no local BJP leader attends it.”

Agarwal further said the BJP’s performance in Nagar Palika election in Hardoi could have been better but due to the attitude of the local leaders, the party didn’t do well.

Naresh Agarwal, a former Rajya Sabha MP, joined the BJP in March 2018, after he was denied a renomination by the Samajwadi Party. Before the 2022 UP assembly elections, Nitin Agarwal, who was an SP MLA from Hardoi Sadar, also joined the BJP and contested on a BJP ticket to win for the fourth time. He was made a minister of state (independent charge) for excise and liquor prohibition.

In a recent public programme in Hardoi, Naresh Agarwal even warned the local leaders that if the treatment continues, he won’t be helping the party during the Lok Sabha elections.Agarwal, however, told ET that he gets respect from the state and central leadership of the party.”There is no problem with the state leadership of Yogi Ji and national leadership of Modi Ji, Amit Shah Ji and Nadda Ji. They respect me a lot. They are aware of the situation here and I don’t need to tell them,” he said. He also added that he will work for the party to make Narendra Modi, the PM for the third time in the country.

When asked about Agarwal’s allegations, BJP Hardoi district president Saurabh Mishra said there is no such thing as claimed by Agarwal. “I became the district president five years ago and in the same year Agarwal joined the BJP. There was no problem till date. I don’t know why he is saying it now. He is a big leader and must be in touch with party senior leadership. I am no one to comment on this,” Mishra told ET.