Shehzad Poonawalla, who recently quit as Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) spokesperson, quipped that he would consider rejoining the Congress only if party leaders Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra were “removed”.
But there was no official confirmation from the party at that time. The BJP leader also explained his decision behind leaving the party. “People are unwilling to accept that politicians like me – first-generation, new-age politicians – don’t come from any legacy. He’s asking me for rent on the 1st.
Ruling out his return to the Congress after he left the party in 2017, Poonawalla said: “I will join the Congress on one condition: Remove Rahul Gandhi, remove Sonia Gandhi, remove Priyanka Vadra, apologise for Nehru’s actions. On July 31, he updated his bio on X, omitting any mention of the BJP, which sparked speculation about his potential departure from the party. Because i’m from the BJP, my landlord is not going to give me free rent.
Lauding the ruling party at the Centre, Poonawalla said: “I am not a bhavishya vakta (future teller) like Rahul Gandhi, but all I can say in the present moment is that there is no greater leader this country has had, or will have, than Prime Minister Modi. Recalling his journey from being a TV anchor to joining politics, he said he needed new avenues since the current role did not involve much money. The BJP or any other political party does not pay its spokespersons, he said. “ Me wanting to resign or moving to a private space has been a conversation since 2024,” he said, adding that his “24X7, 365 days a year” job was no longer sustainable for him. Poonawalla said most politicians fall in the ” leta ” (taking some benefits) or ” beta ” (someone’s son) category but he belonged to neither and thus needed to find ways to sustain himself. What happens is we are so used to seeing Sachin Pilots or we are so used to seeing all these netas, betas , that we assume that everyone has that lifestyle,” he said. Earlier reporting noted: In his first interview after quitting the BJP, Poonawalla said that political parties, including the BJP, do not pay salaries to their spokespersons and that he was finding it difficult to sustain himself. Political parties don’t pay karyakartas (workers),” Shehzad Poonawalla said.
Earlier reporting noted: “I need to pay my rent. Earlier reporting noted: But he quickly added that he did not expect the BJP to sustain him, and that he still remains committed to the party’s and the Prime Minister’s vision. On Monday, Poonawalla requested BJP national president Nitin Nabin to accept his resignation letter.
