Amid allegations of Soft Hindutva on Rahul Gandhi, Congress Maharashtra Secretary Shehzad Poonawalla has written to the Chief Ministers of Punjab and Jammu and Kashmir for minority status for Hindus. When asked if this was to appease the hindus for votebank, shehzad said that he felt it was his duty to speak for the rights of all communities being a secular Indian. He further said that his move his in his personal capacity and not as a Congress functionary, and that he will also write to the Chief Mminister of Arunachal Pradesh for minority status for Hindus.