‘You endorse misogyny, cut the crap’: Shehzad Poonawalla joins BJP attack on Rahul Gandhi's ‘smash patriarchy’ event

E-PaperSubscribeSubscribeEnjoy unlimited accessSubscribe Now! Get features like BJP launched a fresh attack on Congress leader Rahul Gandhi over his party's stance on women's rights and alleged sexist remarks. Former BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla, who recently quit the saffron party, also joined in as he accused the Congress MP of endorsing "misogyny, sexism and patriarchy". Shehzad Poonawalla and Rahul Gandhi (Agencies)Poonawalla and BJP were responding to Rahul Gandhi's call to "smash the patriarchy" during his party's 'Chhatro ki Goonj' programme in Pune. In a scathing attack, Poonawalla said, "You pretty much endorsed misogyny, sexism and patriarchy when you & Sandeep Dikshit made that crass comment on Meloni. So cut the crap." The BJP accused Congress of always taking a stand against women's right, citing a long list of instances which it deemed as anti-women. The saffron party said Congress opposed the Women’s Reservation Bill, the Triple Talaq Bill, Draupadi Murmu' candidature for President. It further alleged that Congress leaders made abusive remarks against PM Modi's late mother, senior leaders made misogynistic remarks against women. Poonawalla, who has resigned from all posts from BJP, has said that he will remain a "lifelong follower of PM Narendra Modi". He has also continued to train his guns on Congress and Rahul Gandhi. Earlier on Wednesday, Poonawalla said Gandhi would never become the Prime Minister of India. “Rahul Gandhi will never be PM of India till I am alive,” Poonawalla wrote on X. “Tareeka badla hai, maqsad nahi” (The method has changed, not the objective). He was responding to a post that read, “Shehzad Poonawala is still destroying Congress left right & centre.” Poonawalla began his political journey as a Congress volunteer around 2008 while he was still a student. He later served as vice-president of the Pune unit of the party’s student wing, the National Students’ Union of India (NSUI), and as secretary of the Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee. He broke ties with the Congress in 2017 after criticising the party’s internal presidential election process, alleging that it was “rigged” in favour of Rahul Gandhi. He joined the BJP the same year. Akanksha Verma is an Associate Editor at the Hindustan Times in New Delhi. With an experience of over a decade, she has led newsrooms operations and worked on digital content strategies. She is adept at covering breaking news situations and holds expertise in doing long-form explainers on national, political and geopolitical issues. Akanksha has previously worked with The Times Of India, Indian Express Online, News18.com, India Ahead and The Daily Jagran. She has written on key national and global events, including the Lok Sabha Elections, Assembly Elections, US Elections, US-Iran war, Operation Sindoor, Israel-Palestine conflict, Afghanistan conflict, Ram Temple verdict, Ladakh standoff, Abrogation of Article 370 and Demonetisation. She holds a BA (Hons) in English from Ramjas College, University of Delhi, and a Postgraduate Diploma in English Journalism from the Indian Institute of Mass Communication (IIMC), Dhenkanal, Odisha. She is proficient in both English and Hindi and has earned a beginner-level certification in Korean. Beyond her newsroom responsibilities, Akanksha enjoys reading books that explore gender and social issues. She also turns to poetry as a creative outlet, writing verses whenever inspiration strikes.Read More