Shehzad Poonawalla Allegedly Resigned From BJP, Called Himself 'Lifelong Follower Of PM Modi'

The Bharatiya Janata Party's national spokesperson, Shehzad Poonawalla has resigned. As of yet, no formal statement has been made. The controversy started as BJP is was removed from updated bio on X (previously Twitter). However, he has changed the name from the BJP to “lifelong follower” of prime minister Narendra Modi on his Twitter profile.

Sources quoted by CNN-News18 have said that Poonawalla had tendered his resignation to the BJP leadership, on personal grounds.

After the ideological rift over the procedure for the Congress to elect its President, Poonawalla got out of the Congress and joined the BJP in 2017. He later served as one of the BJP's national spokesman and was known to take a stand for the party's stand and often criticised the Congress and its leaders such as Rahul Gandhi.

Over the past few weeks, Poonawalla has been posting commemorative video clips on X, suggesting that he was readying himself for a move out of active politics.

In one of the videos, he stated that public service does not just refer to holding positions but can also be achieved in other capacities beyond electoral politics. He emphasised that people can contribute for the society in any way and holding political power is not necessary for that. He added, “It is a problem that we merge the political goal with electoral goal. They are two different things. Thinking that I make societal contribution only after my electoral goals are met is a mistake. If I don't become an MP, does that mean I have no contribution in society and politics? Should I spend all my energy on running behind these positions? I think everyone should think what they can contribute for the country. Some people contribute my becoming elected representatives, while some go out of this system and try to contribute. That does not mean we are apolitical.”

In another video, Poonawalla had said he had thought of the Lok Sabha polls in 2024 to be his last election, but remained for some crucial state polls in West Bengal, Delhi, Haryana, Bihar and Maharashtra. He remarked, “In 2024, I had decided that I will quit active politics. But I stayed for crucial polls such as Bengal, Delhi, Haryana, Bihar, Maharashtra. Now I feel that it is time to move on from active politics."

He initially put the clip on his social media account on June 28 under the tag "I'm already 2 years late on this..", and then reposted it on Thursday, leading to speculation about his decision to step out of the political fray.

Meanwhile, Poonawalla nor the BJP has made any official statement, so far, regarding the cause of his resignation.

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Susmita Modak

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Always love to raise the unraised matter. In a world of worries, I am always ready to come over my comfort zone and taking the step ahead of spreading awareness.

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