Mumbai : Mumbai-based model Riya Ahir, who shot to fame after a video of her stopping a police van during the Gen Z protests went viral, has sparred with former BJP national spokesperson and Congress rebel Shehzad Poonawalla after he mocked her failure to enter Bigg Boss 20. In his reel, Shehzad Poonawalla alleged that Ahir’s viral protest photograph was part of a political strategy.
“The plan was completely set,” he claimed, alleging that the photo would first be made viral as part of a protest, followed by political platforms “from Rahul Gandhi to Raj Thackeray”, before the alleged “propaganda” was taken into the Bigg Boss house to push an “anti-Modi agenda”. “There is a big difference between making a scripted photo go viral, getting platforms from Rahul Gandhi to Supriya Sule, Raj Thackeray and Dimple Yadav [to follow the account], [and] entering the Bigg Boss house, and winning a popular mandate from the public,” Poonawalla said.
Shehzad Poonawalla also called Ahir’s defeat an “epic humiliation” for the “entire Left ecosystem”, which he claimed had presented her as “the face of Gen Z”. He contrasted her with Gill, describing Gill as someone who “visits temples, goes to gurdwaras, serves cows, respects the Indian Army and does not use abusive language”. He also highlighted a remark Ahir made during the Bigg Boss selection process. During an exchange with Gill, Ahir corrected her for referring to the vehicle she had stopped during the protest as a bus.
Gill then said she believed Ahir’s work was “outside” the Bigg Boss house, not inside, where people could fight for their rights. Poonawalla seized on Ahir’s remark in his reel, arguing that it demonstrated why she had been rejected by viewers. “Riya Ahir was not even evicted,” he said, adding, “Her entry itself did not happen.” Ahir responded with two reels, the first beginning with a deliberately mocking reference to Poonawalla.
Read Also : VanDyke Case : NIA Probes Terror Links Amid UAPA Chargesheet Dispute