Union minister of Textiles Smriti Irani said that she would leave politics the day Prime Minister Modi decided to hang his boots. Though Irani asserted that he would be around for “long years”
Union minister of Textiles Smriti Irani on Sunday, February 3, said that she would leave politics the day Prime Minister Narendra Modi decided to hang his boots. Though Irani asserted that he would be around for “long years”.
The Union Minister was speaking at the second edition of Words Count in a discussion titled ‘Scripting Her Story, From Star to Star Campaigner’. Words Count is a festival of words hosted by Varsha Chordia and Sabina Sanghvi and curated by columnist Advaita Kala. Smriti Irani refused to make any kind of announcement about contesting from Amethi at the elections. She added that the decision would be taken by her party and its chief Amit Shah.
An audience member asked her when would one see her as a “pradhan sevak” (prime servant).
“Never. I entered politics to work under charismatic leaders. I was very lucky to work under the leadership of late Atal Bihari Vajpayee and I am currently serving under Modi ji,” Irani replied.
“The day ‘pradhan sevak’ Narendra Modi decides to hang his boots, I will also leave Indian politics,” she said.
“I decide for myself how much of my life I will give for my country, my society. In an independent country, if I cannot take a decision for myself, what is the use of that independence?” she said.
On a question whether she did not wish to serve under leaders other than Modi, Smriti Irani said, “Am I not currently working under leaders like Rajnath Singh ji, Nitin Gadkari ji? There are leaders with whom I have worked within the organisation for the last 18 years. I also had the opportunity to work under leaders like Vajpayee and L K Advani.”
“In 2014, when I fought the election, they were asking who is Smriti. In 2019, they know who I am,” she asserted.
“For the last hour, everyone wants to know whether I will be contesting from Amethi. But since the event is titled Words Count, in this case, Amit Shah’s word counts,” Irani said.
The textile minister had lost to Rahul Gandhi in the 2014 general elections from Amethi.
Talking on the menace of trolling on social media platforms, the actor-turned-politician said she had been trolled by celebrated journalists and politicians and not just by anonymous netizens.
“I might be one of the few people who have been equally trolled by celebrated journalists and politicians and by anonymous trolls,” she said
source: NH
