Shehzad Poonawalla rules out Congress return, sets cheeky condition involving Gandhi family

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”.BJP national spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla recently quit the party. (PTI File Photo)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.”The BJP leader, whose resignation is yet to be accepted by the BJP leadership, was speaking to NDTV when he made the remarks.Also Read | 'Landlord won't give me free rent because I'm from BJP': Shehzad Poonawalla on party exitLauding 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.”He added: “Having served as the national spokesperson of the world's largest democratic party, do you think I'm going to settle for some other party? The BJP is the best party that India has at this moment."On Monday, Poonawalla requested BJP national president Nitin Nabin to accept his resignation letter. 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. But there was no official confirmation from the party at that time.Also Read | ‘Middle class is being looted’: Shehzad Poonawalla’s last remarks before official resignation from BJPThe BJP leader also explained his decision behind leaving the party. 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."I need to pay my rent. My landlord is not going to give me free rent because I'm from the BJP. He's asking me for rent on the 1st. Political parties don't pay karyakartas (workers)," he told the news channel.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.Also Read | ‘Glamorous role but…’: Poonawalla on buzz that he should have succeeded MalviyaAsked if financial circumstances prompted him to quit the BJP, Poonawalla replied: “Absolutely!”.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."People are unwilling to accept that politicians like me - first-generation, new-age politicians - don't come from any legacy. 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.