NEW DELHI: Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav and AAP convenor Arvind Kejriwal on Friday criticised Bharatiya Janata Party’s spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla after he allegedly abused AAP MLA Rituraj Jha during a live show on a national news channel.
In a social media post on X, Akhilesh accused BJP of insulting “Purvanchalis” and said that the statement reflects the narrow thinking of the party towards people coming from UP and Bihar.
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“It is not only unfortunate but also highly condemnable that a national spokesperson of BJP distorted the surname of an elected MLA of Aam Aadmi Party, Delhi on a national news channel and used a highly offensive abusive word for that surname,” Akhilesh said.
“This statement reflects the narrow thinking of BJP towards UP, Bihar and Purvanchalis, which has always been negative. This is not a matter that can be resolved with an apology. The people of Purvanchal who were insulted by this ‘word-arrow’ will never forget it. UP-Bihar say today, we don’t want BJP!” he added.
Kejriwal also seconded Akhilesh’s post and said Poonawalla’s remarks shows the mentality of BJP and the bigger and dirtier abuses one uses, the bigger the position he gets in the party
“Akhilesh ji, what the BJP spokesperson said shows the mentality of the BJP. Their leaders only abuse people morning and evening. Sometimes they abuse women, sometimes they abuse the Purvanchal society. And the bigger and dirtier abuses one uses, the bigger the position he gets,” Kejriwal responded to Akhilesh’s post on X.
“These insulting words spoken by him are very unfortunate for the entire Purvanchal society. Purvanchal society will respond to this by pressing the button,” he added.
The controversy started during a heated TV debate on Wednesday, in which Poonawalla made a jibe about AAP MLA Rituraj Jha’s surname. The remark, which came after Jha used Poonawalla’s surname to take a dig at him, was labeled abusive by the AAP.
पूर्वांचलियों को गाली देना और घुसपैठिया कहना BJP की आदत‼️
♦️ BJP वाले पूर्वांचल समाज से बहुत नफ़रत करते हैं। इनके नेता ने हमारे समाज़ को कई बार गालियां दीं
♦️ BJP प्रवक्ता ने सिर्फ़ मुझे नहीं बल्कि पूरे पूर्वांचल समाज के लोगों को गाली दी है pic.twitter.com/a9k3QyFelc
— MLA RITURAJ JHA (@MLARituraj) January 15, 2025
While Poonawalla has denied abusing anyone, accusing AAP of spreading lies and engaging in character assassination, the incident drew criticism even from within the BJP.
BJP MP and prominent Purvanchali leader Manoj Tiwari also expressed disapproval of Poonawalla’s comments, urging him and AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal to apologise for using offensive language against the Purvanchali community.
In a video posted on X, Tiwari said, “I strongly condemn the words spoken by Shehzad Poonawalla (in the TV debate). No matter how much anyone provokes you, the party expects its workers to remain sensitive and maintain decorum. The party will take cognisance, I believe, and I want Shehzad Poonawalla to apologise without any further comments.”
The upcoming election is widely viewed as a direct contest between the ruling AAP, in power since 2015, and the BJP, with the Congress striving to regain its earlier dominance in the capital.
