Shehzad Poonawalla on Monday resigned from the BJP, citing what he described as pressing financial and personal circumstances.

The BJP’s national spokesperson said he had first submitted his resignation on July 30. However, the party did not accept it at the time and asked him to reconsider his decision.

Poonawalla has now reiterated his decision to step down as the BJP’s national spokesperson and relinquish his primary membership of the party.

In his resignation letter to BJP president Nitin Nabin, Poonawalla said that after “long and hard contemplation”, he had decided to seek relief from his organisational responsibilities and active primary membership.

He also referred to developments involving certain individuals in recent days, saying they had reinforced his earlier decision. He did not name anyone in his letter.

Shehzad Poonawalla thanks BJP leadership

Poonawalla said he was touched that the BJP had initially declined to accept his resignation and expressed gratitude towards the party leadership.

He thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP president Nitin Nabin, Home Minister Amit Shah, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and BJP General Secretary (Organisation) BL Santosh for the platform and opportunities he received during his five years with the party.

Poonawalla said his decision to leave was not driven by any sense of hurt and described his sentiments towards the party leadership with “gratefulness, love, affection, and highest regard”.

He said that his decision was linked to pressing financial and personal circumstances and that he would move into the private sector.

At the same time, Poonawalla said he would continue to support Prime Minister Modi’s vision and work, as well as that of the BJP, wherever possible.

“I am only leaving the Vyavastha not the Vyakti or Vichar,” he said.

Shehzad Poonawalla’s political journey

A lawyer, Poonawalla began his political career with the Congress before later joining the BJP.

He came into prominence in 2017 after publicly questioning the Congress’s internal election process. He alleged that the process was rigged in favour of Rahul Gandhi for the post of party president.

Poonawalla subsequently left the Congress and joined the BJP, where he became one of the party’s prominent representatives in television debates.

On July 30, he had also changed his bio on X, removing the reference to himself as “BJP National Spokesperson” while retaining his description as a lifelong follower of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi skipped the 80th Independence Day celebrations at Delhi’s Red Fort for the second consecutive year.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi led the Independence Day celebrations at the historic venue on Saturday.

The absence of the two senior Congress leaders comes amid strained relations between the ruling party and the Opposition, which further deteriorated during the Monsoon Session of Parliament that concluded on Thursday.

2024 seating controversy

Rahul Gandhi had attended the Independence Day celebrations in 2024 but his seating arrangement triggered a controversy. The Congress leader, who holds the status of a Cabinet minister as Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, was seated in the second-last row during the ceremony at the Red Fort.

The Opposition had criticised the seating arrangement, calling it an insult to the people. The Defence Ministry, which organised the event, said the arrangement had been modified to accommodate Olympians at the venue.

According to protocol, the Leader of the Opposition is seated in the front row during ceremonial events.

Opposition-ruling party tensions

Relations between the government and the Opposition remained tense during the Monsoon Session, which ended on Thursday.

The session saw repeated clashes between the two sides, with both the Opposition and the ruling party blaming each other for the low productivity of Parliament.

The session began on July 20, with students marching towards Parliament on the first day. Twelve bills were passed during the session, while detailed discussion took place on only one legislation, concerning paper leaks.

The Congress, along with the Trinamool Congress and Samajwadi Party, also boycotted the customary tea party hosted by Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla after the House was adjourned sine die.

A 52-year-old BJP leader who had been missing for two days was found dead in Assam’s Sribhumi district on Friday, with police alleging that he was murdered.

Bikash Dhar, a resident of Chagalmowa village under Bazaricherra police station, was found dead inside an abandoned house in the Yogicherra area near the Tripura border on Friday morning.

Dhar’s family had filed a missing complaint on August 12 after he left home following a phone call.

According to his son Madan Dhar, Bikash left around 1 pm after saying that he had to attend an emergency meeting. When he did not return and his phone was switched off, the family began searching for him and later approached the police.

Five arrested in murder case

Sribhumi Superintendent of Police Leena Doley said an investigation was launched after the missing complaint was received. The probe was conducted under the supervision of the Additional Superintendent of Police (Crime).

Police said five people have been arrested in connection with the alleged murder. They were identified as Abdul Salam, Sifat Ali, Abdul Ahad, Saiful Ali and Badrul Haque.

According to the police, interrogation of Abdul Salam revealed that the accused had an enmity with Dhar. Police alleged that the group killed him and dumped his body near a water body.

Another person, identified as Sunam Miya, was named during the investigation and reportedly fled to Tripura on the night of the incident.

Police find injury and cut marks on body

Police said injury and cut marks were found on Dhar’s body, and a murder case has been registered.

During the recovery of the alleged weapon, police said accused Badrul Haque attempted to escape from custody. A police constable was injured during the incident.

Police said they fired at Haque’s leg to prevent him from escaping, resulting in a bullet wound.

The investigation into the circumstances surrounding Dhar’s death and the alleged involvement of the accused is underway.