Lucknow, Jan 17 (PTI) Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav on Friday slammed BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla over his “extremely objectionable language” for an AAP lawmaker during a TV debate.
Poonawalla, in a heated discussion on a news channel on Wednesday, made a derisive riff on Aam Aadmi Party MLA Rituraj Jha’s surname.
His comment, seen by many rival politicians as a new low in TV debates, came after Jha took a dig at Poonawalla’s surname.
The former UP chief minister said Poonawallah’s remark had hurt the people inhabiting a large swathe of northern India.
“It is not only unfortunate but also highly condemnable that a BJP national spokesperson used extremely objectionable language to distort the surname of a Delhi Aam Aadmi Party MLA on a national news channel,” Yadav said in a post on X.
“This statement reflects the BJP’s narrow-minded attitude towards people from Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and Purvanchal, which has always been negative. This is not a matter that can be resolved with an apology. Those from Purvanchal who were insulted by this ‘verbal arrow’ will never forget it. UP-Bihar say today, we don’t need BJP!” he added.
भाजपा के एक राष्ट्रीय प्रवक्ता द्वारा एक राष्ट्रीय न्यूज़ चैनल पर आम आदमी पार्टी, दिल्ली के एक निर्वाचित विधायक के उपनाम को बिगाड़कर, उस उपनाम के लिए अत्यंत आपत्तिजनक अपशब्द का इस्तेमाल करना दुर्भाग्यपूर्ण ही नहीं बल्कि घोर निंदनीय भी है। ये कथन भाजपा की उप्र, बिहार और…
— Akhilesh Yadav (@yadavakhilesh) January 17, 2025
BJP ally Janata Dal (United) also called for disciplinary action against Poonawalla.
“Poonawalla has made a mistake. His comments have caused deep displeasure among people from Purvanchal. The JD(U) seeks action from the BJP’s leadership against Poonawalla for his comments,” JD(U) spokesperson Rajiv Ranjan Prasad said in a statement.
In Delhi, Purvanchal is loosely referred to as eastern Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.
People from the region living in the national capital have over the years become influential electorally.
Assembly polls are scheduled to be held in Delhi on February 5 and votes will be counted on February 8.
