Maharashtra Congress functionary Shehzad Poonawalla sparked a row by challenging Rahul Gandhi’s elevation to party president. Calling the elections ‘rigged,’ Shehzad alleged that Rahul enjoys an ‘unfair advantage’ in the party.
His outbursts might have led to senior Congress leaders questioning his credibility and his brother Tehseen Poonawalla expressing ‘disappointment’ in him, but Shehzad has earned an unlikely supporter – Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
“A youngster Shehzad has exposed the rigging that is taking place in the Congress President's poll, and Shehzad is a senior Congress leader in Maharashtra. The Congress has tried to muzzle his voice and wants to even remove him from their social media groups. What tolerance is this?” PM Modi said during a rally in Bharuch on Sunday.
“Those who have no internal democracy can't work for people. I want to tell this youngster Shehzad that you have done a brave thing but this is sadly what has always happened in the Congress,” the prime minister added.
Shehzad, whose entire political presence on TV or social media has been based on criticising the BJP and Narendra Modi, was obliged by getting the prime minister’s endorsement.
The younger Poonawalla also compared himself to Sardar Patel for not getting the due credit he deserved in the Congress.
A Staunch Modi Critic Once
Shehzad has worked with AICC media team during UPA-2, both the Poonawalla brothers were also part of Congress’s war room during 2012 Uttar Pradesh Elections and has represented the party in numerous TV debates as unofficial spokesman.
Throughout his political career the young Congress leader has been a staunch critic of PM Modi and the BJP.
He also regularly tweeted jokes and memes on the NDA government.
Some of which he found funny.
U-Turn Much?
After the recent flare-up, Shehzad is now up in arms against the top Congress leadership.
He has also appeared on prime time debates on the news channels which he once criticised for being too biased against the Congress.
While Shehzad claims, “I am in Congress; I will be in Congress & I will make Congress dynasty mukt” his future within the party seems to be on thin ice. His elder brother denounced his comments saying “ It is totally unacceptable to me and my family...he should have presented whatever issues he had in the party forum...we now have nothing to do with him.”
As Rahul Gandhi moves towards his party presidency, the Poonawalla brothers who have worked for Congress since 2008 find themselves in a tough spot.
In the ongoing Congress organisational elections, Shehzad was willing to contest for a Youth Congress post, but that did not materialise. Party sources told The Print that despite their proximity to the Gandhis, many in the Congress did not take them seriously.
“Their hunger for publicity was proving detrimental to the party. They were using the first family’s name to push their political career,” a senior Congress leader was quoted by The Print as saying.
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