Top News

New Delhi: Former BJP national spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla has revealed that financial challenges were among the key reasons behind his decision to resign from the party after nearly two decades in politics.

Speaking in an interview with NDTV after announcing his resignation, Poonawalla said political parties do not provide salaries to their spokespersons or workers, and he needed a stable source of income to manage his personal responsibilities. “I need to pay my rent. My landlord is not going to give me free rent because I am from the BJP,” Poonawalla said, explaining his situation.

'BJP was never my employment opportunity'

Poonawalla clarified that he never considered the BJP as an employer and said his association with the party was based on ideology rather than financial benefits. He said joining a political organization is about commitment towards an ideology, an individual leader or the organization itself, and not about earning a salary.

“The BJP's job is not to sustain me or any other worker. The BJP is not my employment opportunity, it is my ideological opportunity,” he said.

First-generation politician, says Poonawalla

Poonawalla also highlighted the challenges faced by politicians who do not come from established political families. He said many first-generation politicians have to build their careers independently without the financial backing or political legacy available to some others.

He described himself as someone who neither comes from a political family nor depends on political benefits for survival.

Poonawalla says he is leaving 'vyavastha', not ideology

Announcing his resignation, Poonawalla said he was moving to the private sector due to personal and financial circumstances but would continue supporting Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP's broader vision.

He said his decision was not against the party's ideology but to his current personal situation. “I am only leaving the vyavastha, not the person or vichar,” he said.

Political journey and resignation

Poonawalla joined the BJP in 2017 after leaving the Congress and later became one of the party's prominent television spokespersons. He announced his resignation from all party posts and primary membership, saying he had submitted his resignation to BJP president Nitin Nabin.