Latest news with #ShehzadPoonawalla
The Hindu
3 days ago
- Politics
- The Hindu
Not foreigners, Biharis will decide fate of Bihar: BJP
The BJP on Sunday (July 13, 2025) slammed the Opposition parties for raising questions on the ongoing scrutiny of electoral rolls in Bihar and said only 'Biharis' will decide the fate of the State in the upcoming Assembly polls, not foreigners or illegal immigrants. The criticism came the same day officials said that field agents of the Election Commission have found "a large number of people" from Nepal, Bangladesh and Myanmar in their house-to-house visits, made as part of the ongoing intensive review of the voter list in Bihar. They asserted that the names of illegal migrants will not be included in the final electoral roll, to be published on September 30. A proper enquiry of such people will be conducted after August 1. Asked for comment, BJP national spokesperson and former Union Minister Syed Shahnawaz Hussain told PTI Videos, "None of those who are residents of Bihar and valid voters in the state are facing any problem with the electoral rolls' revision." But illegal immigrants and foreigners like those from Nepal, Myanmar and Bangladesh cannot be included in the voter list, the BJP leader said. "Biharis will decide the fate of Bihar by casting their votes, not citizens of other countries," he added. Another BJP national spokesperson, Shehzad Poonawalla, hit out at the Congress and the RJD, alleging that illegal immigrants from various countries were "brought and settled down" during their rule in the past. "They were provided with all kinds of identity cards. Now they are being weeded being ensured that only Indian citizens avail the right to vote as per the Constitution," he told PTI Videos. But Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and RJD's Tejashwi Yadav are trying to "build pressure" on the Election Commission by spreading "lies" about the ongoing SIR exercise in Bihar, Mr. Poonawalla alleged. "They talk about saving the Constitution, but they want to provide voting rights to foreigners and intruders whom they had brought and settled down during their (parties') is their mindset," he said, and accused the Congress and the RJD of keeping their "vote bank policy" above the Constitution.
Time of India
02-07-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Congress Leader Ajoy Kumar Calls Sikkim a 'Neighbouring Country', BJP Slams Remark as Anti-National
Congress leader Ajoy Kumar has triggered a major controversy by referring to Sikkim as a "neighbouring country" during a public address. The BJP has hit out at the Congress, accusing it of undermining India's unity and echoing separatist sentiments. BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla compared the Congress to Jinnah, accusing the party of pushing for division and prioritising Sharia over the Constitution. The comment has drawn outrage across political lines, with BJP leaders in Sikkim demanding an immediate and unconditional apology. This video breaks down the remark, its political implications, and how it is shaping the national discourse ahead of key elections. Is this a slip of the tongue or a symptom of a deeper ideological divide?#sikkim #ajoykumar #congress #bjp #sikkimcontroversy #congressvsbjp #indianunity #politicalgaffe #nationfirst #bjpattack #nationalintegrity #toi #toibharat #bharat #breakingnews #indianews
Hindustan Times
02-07-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
‘Tukde tukde': BJP's ‘Jinnahwadi party' dig at Congress for ‘neighbouring country Sikkim' gaffe
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Wednesday hit out at Congress, saying that the opposition party supports 'tukde tukde' of India. The scathing attack came after Congress leader Ajoy Kumar referred to Sikkim as a 'neighbouring country', a gaffe he later called 'a slip of the tongue'. BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla criticised Congress for a statement on Sikkim.(ANI) BJP national spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla described Kumar's remarks as an insult to Sikkim and the entire Northeast region. He accused Congress of longstanding hostility toward the Northeast. "Today, the statement made by Ajoy Kumar that Sikkim is not an integral part of India and is, in fact, a neighbouring nation, shows how he has insulted not just Sikkim but the entire northeast. Congress has always been against the Northeast. We have seen they have bombed one of the states in the Northeast. They have said bye-bye to Assam in the 1960s," Poonawalla told news agency ANI. Poonawala accused the Congress of following the 'footsteps of Jinnah', saying that the opposition party wants a 'Sharia Islamic state' and India's division. "Congress is following the footsteps of Jinnah. It is a 'Jinnahwadi' party. Just like Jinnah wanted that there should be an Islamic state and division of India, the Congress party advocates for a Sharia Islamic state in some parts, and it wants the 'tukde tukde' of Bharat," Shehzad Poonawalla said. The gaffe by the Congress leader and his clarification The Sikkim row began when Congress leader Ajoy Kumar named Sikkim as one of India's neighbouring nations along with Bangladesh, Nepal and Sri Lanka, while addressing a press conference on Tuesday. Kumar was listing neighbouring countries with whom India's relations have been spoiled. The Congress leader later shared an X post and apologised for his statement, calling it a slip of the tongue. "Yesterday, in my press conference on 'SAIL 400 crore scam', when I was speaking on the deteriorating relations with our neighbouring countries, I accidentally took name of a state. For which I sincerely apologise as it was just a slip of tongue," he wrote. Further, he targeted the BJP and asked them to hold a press conference on the "atrocities" in 'Amrit Kaal' rather than his "human error". "I heard from a journalist friend that @BJP4India is planning to organise a press conference on this small human error. I want to ask BJP; 1. Why don't they do a press conference on the atrocities happening in this 'AmritKaal'? I did speak about it too yesterday at my Press Conference," the X post read. He questioned the BJP over the alleged SAIL scam of ₹ 400 crore. "2. Why don't they do a press conference on SAIL's ₹ 400 crore scam? I did speak about it too yesterday at my Press Conference. 3. Why don't they do a press conference on what is the relation between Ekta Aggarwal, the promoter of VIPPL company, which was the main cause of SAIL's loss of ₹ 400 crore, with BJP? I did speak about it too yesterday at my Press Conference," Kumar added. Ajoy Kumar said that the BJP will never hold a press conference on the country's major issues but will instead focus on the opposition leaders' small mistakes.
Time of India
03-06-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
'RRR' got 'SMS' to put nation before party, family: BJP mocks Congress amid India's diplomatic outreach post Operation Sindoor
BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla (File photo) NEW DELHI: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla on Tuesday took a dig at the Congress amid disquiet within the grand old party over statements by its leaders who are members of the multi-party delegations for India's diplomatic outreach post Operation Sindoor . Poonawalla said that top Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi , Revanth Reddy and Jairam Ramesh, whom he dubbed as "RRR", have received an "SMS", referring to Shashi Tharoor , Manish Tewari and Salman Khurshid. "Today, 'RRR' - Revanth, Ramesh and Rahul - got an 'SMS'...SMS means messages from Salman Khurshid, Manish Tewari and Shashi Tharoor. After Tewari and Tharoor, now Khurshid has shown a mirror to RRR to not side with Pakistan. Don't put the (Gandhi) family and party ahead of the nation," Poonawalla, a former Congress member himself, told news agency ANI. "It's unfortunate that on the one hand, our MPs are exposing Pakistan on foreign soil, while 'RRR' call Operation Sindoor a failure. They say that these MPs are roaming freely, just like (Pahalgam) unfortunate that RRR wants to amplify Pakistan's narrative. After this tight slap from 'SMS', 'RRR' should stop supporting Pakistan," he added. Also Read | 'MPs roaming, terrorists also roaming': Jairam Ramesh sparks row; BJP says Congress 'crossed all limit' Poonawalla's remarks come a day after ex-foreign minister Khurshid, in a cryptic social media post, slammed "people at home" for "calculating political allegiances" after he backed the August 2019 abrogation of Article 370 by the Narendra Modi government. Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Trading CFD dengan Teknologi dan Kecepatan Lebih Baik IC Markets Mendaftar Undo However, the most discomforting comments for the Congress, have come from Tharoor, who is heading one of the seven all-party delegations. The Thiruvananthapuram MP, a former diplomat, has made statements which have been seen by a large section of his party as being in "favour" the government, triggering a backlash.
Time of India
02-06-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
'BJP Agent': Congress Attacks Khurshid Over 370 Remark, BJP Hits Back With ‘SMS Vs RRR' Jibe
/ Jun 02, 2025, 10:10PM IST A political war of words has erupted between the BJP and Congress over Salman Khurshid's remarks during India's global anti-terror outreach. BJP's Shehzad Poonawalla slammed Congress, saying RRR (Revanth, Ramesh, Rahul) were exposed by SMS (Salman, Manish, Shashi) and accused them of putting family before the nation. Congress leader Rashid Alvi responded, asserting the delegation represents India, not any party, and warned against praising political outfits abroad. The row began after Khurshid's post asking, 'Is it so difficult to be patriotic?' He had earlier also drawn criticism from Congress for backing Article 370's abrogation.#salmankhurshid #bjpcongress #antiterrorism #shehzadpoonawalla #rashidalvi #indiandiplomacy #operationsindoor #article370 #patriotism #politicalwar #nationalinterest #allpartydelegation #indiapakistan #crossborderterror #congress #bjp #indiapolitics #familyfirst #nationfirst #unitedagainstterror #toi #toibharat
