'Disappointed with Modi...': Decoding Shehzad Poonawalla's response to PM's 'forgiveness' video after BJP exit

Ex-BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla on Saturday posted a video that seemed to criticise PM Narendra Modi over the latter's handling of criticism after the recent Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) protests.

Speaking in an Instagram video titled 'PM Modi has failed', Poonawalla claimed that the PM's latest video had "deeply disappointed" him because "(the PM) is unable to be a proper dictator".

Apparently using sarcasm to convey support for the Modi and the BJP, Poonawalla doubled down, saying that Modi had "failed" at it for 12 long years.

"He doesn't know how to be a dictator properly. Instead of being a dictator, he released a video last night and, to the kids who have abused him, the authorities, and his mother, he says these were just ‘mischievous’ kids and forgives them," he said.

Poonawalla had been referring to PM Modi's latest video, in which he "forgave" the youth who hurled insults at him at the recent CJP protests.

The video came after a girl named Ruchika Singh went viral for using abusive language against the PM at one such protest on July 23, for which a Zero FIR was filed against her. After receiving a lot of backlash online, she reportedly shot a video apologising for the viral incident.

Though Poonawalla's stance on the BJP may have seemed uncertain, going by the video title and the first few seconds, it soon becomes clear that it was still in support of the saffron party.

His viral video also comes just days after his exit from the BJP for personal reasons.He had been the party's national spokesperson since 2017.

The video then sees the former Congress leader use the same satirical tone to say that Rahul Gandhi had succeeded where Modi had not, depicting the Lok Sabha Opposition leader (LoP) as Hitler.

“Rahul Gandhi is a descendant of Indira Gandhi, of Nehru. Learn from him what's real dictatorship, what's real Emergency,” Poonawalla said, referring to the Congress LoP's grandmother and her father—both ex-PMs, and to the 1975-77 Emergency imposed by Indira as PM. 

Echoing Union Minister J.P. Nadda's use of the 1975-77 Emergency—in a Rajya Sabha debate—to justify police action against student protesters on July 20, he also claimed that recent tweets from Telangana CM Revanth Reddy and ex-Kerala CM and Left leader Pinarayi Vijayan indicated that they were all capable of being dictators, and that Modi had failed at it.