NL Interviews: Rahul Gandhi’s lone challenger, Shehzad Poonawalla

Once known for defending the Congress, Shehzad Poonawalla has now turned rebel. He has lambasted the Congress over Rahul Gandhi’s certain elevation to the president’s post alleging the election is “rigged”. Though Poonawalla has been a member of the Congress for a decade, it is only days before the presidential poll that he seems to have realised the party has been done in by “dynasty” politics.

In conversation with Newslaundry, Poonawalla said he wants the Congress scion to contest as Rahul and not as a “Gandhi”. He said, “48 per cent of candidates who won have won are dynasts. Most of the state presidents nowadays have dynastic background – be it Punjab, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Haryana, Karnataka.”

December 4 was the last date for filing nomination for the Congress president’s post. However, Poonawalla didn’t contest the polls under the present “rigged electoral system” as the delegates, who are to vote have not been elected by secret ballot. This means Gandhi is running for the top post unopposed.

While a few Congress leaders have gone to the extent of claiming that he is not even a “primary member of the party”, his brother Tehseen Poonawalla called this back-stabbing. Shehzad, however, claimed that he is a “whistle-blower”.

He wants the Congress to win 150 seats in the Gujarat polls. It is unclear how Shehzad is helping the party by releasing audio clips of its leaders and coming down heavily against the top brass. According to Poonawalla, his act is being “instructed by 65 per cent of this country, which is below the age of 35, which is more Shehzad and less Shehzada”.

Listen to Poonawalla on his letters, the fight between “Shehzad and Shehzada” and why he thinks he can be equated with the Congress president-in-waiting. Here’s the video: