‘Modi is absolutely wrong… I’m grateful to Rajiv Gandhi’: Shehzad Poonawalla’s latest jabs right after walking out of the BJP
Honestly, some people just can’t switch off. Shehzad Poonawalla is one of them. The man spent years as the BJP’s national spokesperson, the one who’d show up on every debate channel and throw sharp lines without blinking. A few days ago he finally quit the party. And barely 48 hours later, he’s back on X doing what he does best — taking digs, twisting the knife a little, and somehow still sounding like he’s on Modi’s side. On Wednesday he posted a video of his old TV clips and wrote something that made a lot of people stop scrolling. He said he would always remain grateful to Rajiv Gandhi. Why? Because Rajiv gave India Rahul Gandhi, and Rahul, according to Shehzad, is the real reason Narendra Modi became prime minister in 2014, 2019 and 2024 — and will become PM again in 2029. “Forever indebted to Shri Rajiv Gandhi ji. He gave us @RahulGandhi who ensured PM @narendramodi became PM in 2014, 19, 24 and will become PM again in 2029. Inshallah. Rajiv Gandhi is therefore the biggest Modi ji supporter like me.” That’s pure Shehzad. He’s basically saying, “Thank you Rajiv, for giving us the best campaign manager Modi could ever have.” You can almost hear the half-smile. He didn’t stop there. Just a day earlier the Prime Minister had used the phrase “dimagi Naxal” in his Independence Day speech — people with a Naxal mindset who, Modi said, still try to create trouble even after the armed ones have been largely cleared out. Shehzad’s reply was classic: “Modi is absolutely wrong to categorise folks as DIMAGI NAXAL. They should have been called बददिमगी Naxal.” Brainless Naxals, basically. And just to keep the old habit alive, he also reminded everyone that Rahul Gandhi was a Pappu, is a Pappu, and will forever remain a Pappu. Now, let’s be clear about the resignation itself. Shehzad had first written to the party at the end of July saying he needed to quit because of money and personal issues. The BJP told him to think it over. On 17 August he wrote again, this time firmly: please accept it. He thanked Modi, Amit Shah, Rajnath Singh, Nitin Nabin, BL Santhosh — the whole lot — and said he was leaving only the “vyavastha”, not the “vyakti” or the “vichar”. In simple words, the organisation, not the people or the ideology. He still calls himself a lifelong Modi follower. He just needs a proper job again because the spokesperson post doesn’t pay a salary and the rent doesn’t wait. He’s been saying for a while that he had been planning this exit since 2024. Politics had become a full-time unpaid job and he had bills to clear. Fair enough. He also made it clear he isn’t going back to the Congress. The only way he’d even consider it, he joked, is if Sonia, Rahul and Priyanka are removed and someone apologises for Nehru. Which is his polite way of saying “never”. What feels different now is the freedom. When he was official spokesperson he still had to stay within certain lines. Now those lines are gone. So the same man who used to defend every government decision is freely telling the Prime Minister that “dimagi Naxal” is the wrong phrase, while still calling Rajiv Gandhi Modi’s biggest unintentional supporter. It’s the same old style, just without the party filter. People who’ve watched him for years know this is classic Shehzad. The sarcasm, the wordplay, the ability to attack the opposition while sounding like he’s still firmly in the Modi camp. He joined the BJP in 2017 as a young Pasmanda Muslim, non-dynast, and rose to national spokesperson. He keeps saying no other party would have given a guy like him that kind of platform. Even after quitting, that gratitude is still there. So where does he go from here? He says private sector, while continuing to support Modi’s vision in whatever way he can. Whether that means quieter days or more of these sharp posts, nobody knows yet. But if Wednesday’s messages are any sign, the man hasn’t lost his edge. He’s just changed the room he’s speaking from. The badge is gone. The microphone, it seems, is still on. Sources: Hindustan Times coverage of Shehzad Poonawalla’s 19 August posts and resignation letter; Live Hindustan and Navbharat Times reports on the same social media comments; India Today, The Print and Moneycontrol on the resignation process and his “vyavastha not vyakti” statement; multiple outlets reporting PM Modi’s Independence Day reference to “dimagi Naxals”. @Rohit Manral