Shehzad Poonawalla apologises for controversial reference to AAP MLA's surname

BJP spokesperson apologizes for controversial remarks, as party tries to resolve issue ahead of Delhi assembly polls.

BJP national spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla on Friday (January 17, 2025) apologised for his controversial reference to AAP MLA Rituraj Jha's surname, as his party sought to put a lid on the row.

"I tender an apology with folded hands to all my Purvanchali brothers and sisters. My words have hurt them. I do not want to offer any justification," Mr. Poonawalla said in a video message in Hindi posted on X, adding that he has a lot of respect for the hardworking people of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.

In a heated discussion during a television news channel debate on Wednesday, Mr. Poonawalla had played on Jha's surname to take a jibe at him, a remark slammed as abusive by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP).

His swipe had come after Mr. Jha played with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) spokesperson's surname to take a dig at him.

Besides its rivals, BJP ally Janata Dal (United) has also spoken against Mr. Poonawalla and sought action against him.

In Delhi, Purvanchal loosely refers to eastern Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. Voters from the region reside in large numbers in the national capital and have increasingly become influential electorally.

Assembly polls are scheduled to be held in Delhi on February 5 and the votes will be counted on February 8. The contest is being seen as a straight fight between the AAP, in power in the capital since 2015, and the BJP, with the Congress trying hard to regain its lost ground in the city, which it ruled for 15 uninterrupted years till 2013.