Shehzad Poonawalla mocks Rahul Gandhi's Friendship Day post, calls it a corruption jab

In New Delhi, former BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla launched a pointed critique of Rahul Gandhi’s Friendship Day greeting aimed at Generation Z. Poonawalla ridiculed the Korean finger-heart emoji featured in Gandhi’s post, describing it as a simple act of “counting fingers.” He further accused the Gandhi family and the Indian National Congress, referred to as the “grand old party,” of engaging in corruption. The comment forms part of a broader pattern of political back-and-forth between the two parties as they vie for voter attention.

No response from Gandhi or his party was noted at the time of reporting. The incident underscores the use of social media symbolism in contemporary Indian political discourse.