Who is Shehzad Poonawalla? The Congress man questioning Rahul Gandhi's elevation

Supporters of Congress party are framed by the party's symbols installed at the venue where Rahul Gandhi is addressing a rally at Bardoli

Congress leader Shehzad Poonawalla launched a blistering attack on his party's Vice President Rahul Gandhi last week.

Poonawalla criticised "dynasty politics" and said that he too would contest the polls for the position of party president if Rahul Gandhi agrees to elect delegates and resigns from his current position to participate as an ordinary member of the party.

Poonawalla asked, “Will you allow yourself to be judged on merit rather than your surname?” He also asked if Rahul Gandhi would be willing to be part of a televised debate which would outline their vision for the party and the country.

His action of rebellion had also earned him praise from Prime Minister Narendra Modi. On Sunday, he thanked the Prime Minister and accused Gandhi's office of 'insulting' him when he approached them.

Here's all you need to know about the young Congress leader wrecking havoc in the party:

Shehzad Poonawalla is the State Secretary of Maharashtra Congress and till date remains the only Congress member to openly question Rahul Gandhi's elevation as the president.

Poonawalla has been described as ‘a lawyer and a civil rights activist’ and has also spoken at a TEDx event.

Poonawalla's Twitter biography reads, "My religion is Islam, culture is Hindu, ideology Indian".

Poonawalla is said to have taken up issues of student welfare, safety and freedom on campus including Banaras Hindu University (BHU), Film and Television Institute of India (FTII), Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) and during Rohith Vemula suicide case.

A civil rights activist, Poonawalla is said to have fought Pehlu Khan and the Dadri lynching cases.

Early days in politics

The Maharashtra Congress leader is a graduate from MIT School of Government (MIT-SOG) in Pune and has been active in politics since the age of 16.

Poonawalla has served as the Vice President of the National Students Union of India (NSUI) of Pune.

According to media reports, Poonawalla joined the Congress in 2008 and has served on Congress media cell's research team.