# Shehzad Poonawalla says Rahul Gandhi will never be PM 2026-08-20T06:11:33+00:00 | Governance | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 1 independent outlet Former BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla has predicted that Congress leader Rahul Gandhi will never become Prime Minister of India. "Rahul Gandhi will never be PM of India till I am alive," Poonawalla wrote on X on Wednesday, days after resigning from the BJP for a second time. Poonawalla, who began his political career as a Congress volunteer in 2008 and later served in the NSUI and Maharashtra Congress committee, quit the party in 2017 alleging the presidential election was rigged in favour of Rahul Gandhi. He joined the BJP the same year. He resigned from the BJP citing "pressing financial and personal circumstances", saying his role did not provide an income and he needed to pay rent. Poonawalla said he discussed resigning since 2024 and ruled out joining another party, calling the BJP the best party in India. He also ruled out returning to Congress unless Rahul Gandhi, Sonia Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra were removed from leadership. ## Indian Opinion Analysis Shehzad Poonawalla's trajectory, Congress volunteer, BJP spokesperson, then independent critic, mirrors a pattern of political crossovers in India where loyalty is transactional. His insistence that BJP is the "best party" even after quitting suggests the split is over personal livelihood, not ideology. The key number to watch is whether he monetises his political commentary through media or consulting, given his stated rent crisis and the reality that party spokespersons in India often work unpaid. His next move, a media venture or a private sector role, will signal if political commentary without party backing is financially viable in India. ## Coverage - hindustantimes.com Leads with Poonawalla's attack on Gandhi, includes his resignation reason, no comment from Congress or BJP officials This story was synthesised by AI from the source linked above. Tags: BJP, Congress, Narendra Modi, Rahul Gandhi, Shehzad Poonawalla Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/shehzad-poonawalla-says-rahul-gandhi-will-never-be-pm/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/shehzad-poonawalla-says-rahul-gandhi-will-never-be-pm/#story-in-brief Review state: restored archive article, accurate at time of publication, not offered to search indexes. How this brief was made: an AI model read the report linked above and wrote this summary and analysis, which were published automatically. Published briefs are sampled every hour by an automated quality check; the editor verifies its findings and approves corrections, and corrected briefs carry a dated correction line. We do no original reporting. Methodology: https://indianopinion.org/ai-use-policy/