Poonawalla, a prominent political commentator, targeted Ahir in a reel that also criticised journalist Arfa Khanum Sherwani. Ahir had been competing against Punjabi actress Love Gill for a public-voted spot on Bigg Boss Season 20. Gill won the vote, leaving Ahir out of the show before she could enter the house.
In his reel, Poonawalla alleged that Ahir's viral protest photograph was part of a political strategy. He claimed that the plan was to first make the photograph viral as part of a protest, followed by political platforms "from Rahul Gandhi to Raj Thackeray", before allegedly taking the "propaganda" 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.
He claimed Ahir had the backing of what he described as a "Left-wing ecosystem" and "anti-Modi YouTubers", while mocking the political support he said she had received.
"Rahul Gandhi, who lost 99 elections and cannot even win one election for the Congress, was supposed to secure what kind of online support for you?" Poonawalla said.
Poonawalla also described Ahir's defeat as 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.
When Gill said she was thinking that if the driver had not stopped, "maybe she would not be here today", Ahir replied, "The purpose of my life would have been fulfilled then".
Gill then said she believed Ahir's work was "outside" the Bigg Boss house, rather than 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.
"Greetings, respected Shehzaab, Shehbaz, Shehzaab, Poonawala Uncle," she said. "I just saw the reel you made about me. Well, I'm flattered," she said.
"But at the same time, I just want to request you to keep your big nose out of my personal business and life," she added.
Ahir, 28, then accused Poonawalla, aged 38, of having an old business of "cornering young girls".
"You are more than twice my age, so I would just request you to go do politics with people of your own age and men like you, not little girls," she said.
She denied being affiliated with the political figures named by Poonawalla and said the allegations against her appeared to follow a common script used by other influencers.
"The same script, word to word, 50 other cheap influencers have used," she said. "It looks like payment has been made. Cha-ching!"
Ahir also challenged Poonawalla's claim that she did not respect the Indian Army.
"If you are going to say someone doesn't respect the Indian Army, show up with proof," she said. "Where have I ever disrespected the Indian Army or any professional or any institution or religion or anyone for that matter?"
On the controversial remark highlighted by Poonawalla, Ahir repeated the context of the exchange and defended herself.
"I was thinking that if that driver didn't stop, perhaps I would have fulfilled the purpose of my life right there," she said. "But this one sentence speaks volumes about my upbringing."
In her second reel, Ahir showcased footage of herself helping people, including visiting a leprosy-affected village in Maharashtra's Latur district and donating school stationery. She accused Poonawalla and others of "putting other people down who don't match with your set of ideologies".
"Have you ever visited places like these? Let alone touching them, wiping their tears off, dancing with them and putting a smile on their faces?" she asked.
Ahir also rejected the idea that Bigg Boss could be used for political messaging.
"If you watched Bigg Boss, you would know that you cannot promote the ecosystem, the political agendas and even religion, for that matter, on Bigg Boss, because it is solely for entertainment purposes," she said. "Politics, women, religion is not entertainment," she also said.
Poonawalla responded by again mocking Ahir over her failure to enter Bigg Boss and her reference to him as an older man.
"I'm sorry you were kicked out even before you entered Bigg Boss house," he wrote in a post on X.
He also brought Rahul Gandhi into the exchange, saying, "Perhaps you should have known better that Rahul Gandhi can't win his own elections, how will he make you win."
Poonawalla claimed his original video was primarily about journalist Arfa Khanum Sherwani and that Ahir was only mentioned in passing.
"Thirdly, the video was on Arfa, you were incidental," he wrote, adding, "But you know I understand the attention-seeking behaviour."
He also mocked Ahir over her premium Instagram subscription, which no longer exists, stating, "Next time try posing in front of a plane, maybe you get something more than a Rs140 subscription!"
Responding to Ahir's age-related criticism, Poonawalla said, "You are 28, you are not a 'young girl' and I'm 38, so technically I'm not twice your age."
"Clearly maths was never your strong point at school," he added, before joking that she had confused him with "another 56-year-old Rahul Gandhi."
Poonawalla concluded by saying Ahir's response "deserve[s] no attention" and suggested that "another podcast with Arfa might help".
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