News Analysis India

Tag: Smriti Irani

  • ‘Mamata getting disturbed despite PM giving her respect’: Smriti Irani on Modi’s ‘Didi, o Didi’ slogan

    By ANI
    NORTH 24 PARGANAS: Union Minister and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Smriti Irani on Wednesday lashed out at West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, saying that while she talks of ‘khela hobe’, the people of the state are saying there will be slogans for lotus.

    Addressing a public gathering in Shikarpur, Irani said: “Didi is getting disturbed on being called ‘Didi’ and is stating why PM Modi is saying ‘Didi, o Didi’. She is getting disturbed. PM Modi is giving her respect and she is insulting him. But her ‘khela’ means insulting others.”

    “Before this election, she told every person ‘khela hobe’. But she does not know that after each phase, people of Bengal are telling her ‘Didi, you are saying khela hobe, people are saying ‘poddophooler naara hobe’ (there will be slogans for the lotus),” she added.

    Lotus is the election symbol of the BJP.

    She further targeted Banerjee, saying that the party which talks of ‘Ma, Mati and Manush’ is “insulting women, bloodying the soil and handing over homes to syndicates”.

    She alleged that Mamata Banerjee came to power on the claims of bringing ‘poriborton’ (change) and ending the atrocities inflicted by the Left government but the “previous government’s goons have now turned into the goons of Trinamool Congress (TMC).”

    Irani also claimed that a video clip has emerged in Ashok Nagar where Mamata Banerjee allegedly told a TMC candidate “to stop his smuggling”.

    “This is not an ordinary election. This election is for the development of every poor person and family, the respect of every woman in Bengal,” she said.

    “Didi says’ Bangla nijer meyeke chaaye’ (Bengal wants her own daughter). I said earlier that which daughter are you talking about? What situation she and her goons had left the state in after the Amphan cyclone? Did the rice sent by the PM Modi reach the people? TMC’s goons have stolen the rice of poor people,” the Union Minister said.

    Irani said once a BJP government is formed in the state, “every TMC goon will be sent behind bars”.

    “Every vote for the TMC is an insult to women, poor people, and the state. If you want to protect the state and preserve the culture, press the lotus and give your blessings to BJP,” she added.

    The high-decibel campaigning for the fifth phase of the ongoing West Bengal Assembly elections concluded at 6 pm on Wednesday, as leaders of the political parties taking part in the high-stakes polls left no stone unturned to woo the voters of the state.

    The campaigning ended early today as the Election Commission (EC) on Saturday said the silence period for the fifth phase shall be extended to 72 hours. The decision came after violence in the fourth phase of the election in which five persons died.

  • TN polls 2021: Smriti Irani challenges Kamal Hassan for an open debate with BJP candidate

    By PTI
    COIMBATORE: Union Minister Smriti Irani on Saturday challenged actor and Makkal Needhi Maiam founder Kamal Haasan to have an open debate with Vanathi Srinivasan, BJP’s candidate for Coimbatore South constituency, after he took on the Centre on issues of development in his campaigns.

    Haasan is also contesting from this Constituency.

    Addressing the ‘North India Community Outreach Programme’, organised at Gujarati Samaj here, the BJP leader recalled that she had participated in a debate with him a few years back.

    “I challenge Kamal Haasan to come for a debate with Vanathi Srinivasan, to prove to the people who is it that really knows the issues well, gives solutions and implements policies.”

    Reeling out statistics on infrastructure development, she said the Centre has built 10 crore toilets nationwide, of which 90 lakh was in Tamil Nadu.

    Similarly, the PM initiated the Jandhan scheme through which government was able to directly transfer money to people’s accounts, benefiting 40 crore people all over the country, of which 90 lakh were in Tamil Nadu The state received 1.25 crore drinking water taps of the five crore installed in India in the last two years, she said, speaking in Gujarati and Hindi.

    A central government scheme through which farmers get Rs 6,000 annually had benefited 10 crore of them and 50 lakh of them were in Tamil Nadu, the minister said.

    The Centre has also sanctioned 11 medical colleges and an AIIMS for Tamil Nadu, she said.

    “All this was possible because the people of India blessed and elected Narendra Modi as Prime Minister…who chose to be the first public servant of the nation,” she said Appealing the people to cast their votes for the BJP on April 6, she said “Lakshmi (goddess of wealth) is coming not with torch, but on Kamal (Lotus).”

    Later, replying to a question from reporters on why she targetted only Kamal Hassan when other parties, including Congress, were in the fray, she quipped “Congress is not at all in the picture.” 

  • Politicians have no business talking about how people dress: Irani on Tirath Rawat’s ‘ripped jeans’ remarks

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: Politicians have no business talking about how people dress because ultimately their service is of policymaking and ensuring rule of law, Union Women and Child Development Minister Smriti Irani said on Thursday, reacting to the controversial “ripped jeans” remarks by Uttarakhand Chief Minister Tirath Singh Rawat.

    Rawat had drawn flak when he said that youngsters follow strange fashion trends due to a lack of values and consider themselves to be big shots after wearing jeans ripped at the knees.

    Rawat then went on to describe the attire of a woman who sat next to him on a flight.

    He described her as wearing boots, jeans ripped at the knees, bangles in her hands, and with two children travelling with her.

    He also said she runs an NGO, goes out in society and has two children, and wondered what values she would give them.

    Speaking at the Seventh Edition of Times Network India Economic Conclave on ‘Ladies Who Lead’, Irani said there are certain things that are sacrosanct and one of them is a woman’s right to choose the way she wants to live her life and engage with society as she deems fit.

    “Irrespective, men, women, transgender, politicians have absolutely no business talking about how people dress, what they eat, what they do because ultimately our service is of policymaking and ensuring rule of law. There have been faux pas made by many politicians — men and women,” Irani said.

    “It is not as though these particular positions have been taken only by men and I think with growing urgency there is a conversation across our country in all communities that there are certain things which are sacrosanct and one of them is woman’s right to choose the way she wants to live her life and engage with society as she deems fit as long as you don’t break the law I have absolutely no business telling you what to do,” she added.

    Responding to a question on why she is calling her party colleague Rawat’s remarks a faux pas, she said, “No one in their enlightened mind will make that statement.”

    On the alleged absence of top Congress leaders in the West Bengal poll campaign, Irani said politically the Congress party knows that in West Bengal it has no gains to be made and its political leadership has accepted defeat even before the first vote is cast.

    “I think it speaks volumes about their leadership that they did not stand in support of their own political workers and their own ecosystem within the state of West Bengal and this is possibly the first time that in Bengal elections the Congress by its very demeanor of its political leadership has accepted defeat even before the first vote is cast,” Irani said.

    Talking about women reservation, she said the BJP was the first party to make 33 per cent reservations within itself.

    “People like Nirmala (Sitharaman) and me received our first organisational positions because of that. There have been many women who never had an opportunity to serve in higher offices. Today if you look at global indices which talk about political empowerment of women. women serving in panchayats have not been recognised internationally,” Irani said.

    “In India, we have 1.3 million women serving in panchayats, no other nation in the world has such a big contingent of women politically serving doesn’t get recognition.

    There is this potential that needs more and more opportunities because wherever women have been given equal opportunity to compete they have done well,” she added.

    On the #metoo movement in India involving former Union minister M J Akbar and journalist Priya Ramani, Irani said if there is a violation of law it is a woman’s right to pursue justice.

    “There can be no debate on it,” she said.

  • Mamata vs Smriti sends poll mercury soaring

    Express News Service
    KOLKATA:  With four days left before campaigning ends for the first phase of polling on March 27, mercury has soared in West Bengal’s electoral battleground. Heavyweight campaigners crisscrossed two districts on Monday. Union minister Smriti Irani and West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee were locked in a war of words, addressing rallies in East Midnapore and Bankura, respectively.

    Irani addressed three rallies in East Midnapore district. The Nandigram constituency, where Mamata is contesting against BJP’s Suvendu Adhikari, comes under East Midnapore. The CM, too, attended three rallies and unleashed a scathing attack on BJP.

    Star BJP campaigner Smriti Irani (centre, picture left) at an election rallyin East Midnapore,

    Mamata’s nephew Abhishek Banerjee also addressed three rallies in East Midnapore.  BJP’s state president Dilip Ghosh led a roadshow in West Midnapore. Sanyukt Morcha’s Mohammad Salim, a politburo member of CPI(M), and Indian Secular Front founder Abbas Siddiqui also addressed three rallies in the district.

    “Khela hobe. Emon khela hobe BJP boundaryir baire giye porbe (A game will take place. Such a game that BJP will be hit out of the boundary line),” Mamata said. Irani hit back. “Banglar ghorer meye bairer loker sathe khelche? Uni banglar meyeder sathe, goribder sathe khelchen (Is Bengal’s own daughter playing with outsiders? She is playing with the women and poor people of Bengal),” the MP said in Bengali, taking a jibe at Mamata’s effort to brand BJP as a party of outsiders.

    Mamata described BJP as a venomous cobra, which will bite if it manages to come to power in West Bengal. Branding the state’s ruling party an organisation full of corrupt leaders, Irani said: “TMC’s goons did not even spare the towers of cell phone providers in their areas. They steal the battery of the towers.’’Reminding people of the promises mentioned in her party manifesto, Mamata said: “Drinking water will be supplied to all the households. More than 70 lakh families have already been brought under the state government’s drinking water supply scheme.’’

  • For first time, WCD Ministry to work on children’s mental health as finalizes budget of Rs 56 crore

    By Express News Service
    NEW DELHI:  The Union Women and Child Development Ministry has launched a project, for the first time, to address the mental health challenges being faced by children across India and is spending Rs 56 crore on it for over five years.

    Under the scheme, the ministry has tied up with the National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro-Sciences, Bengaluru to train teachers, judicial officers, cops and those working in child care institutions across the country.

    Through the programmed launched in June 2020, during the Covid19 lockdown. nearly 41,000 stakeholders across 28 states have been trained so far to recognize the children dealing with mental health issues and help them.  

    In a press briefing, Union WCD minister Smriti Irani said on Tuesday that talks are also on with the Union Panchayati Raj ministry to address the issues faced by kids in rural areas.   

    As per a recent UNICEF report, while an estimated 50 million children in India suffered from mental health issues even before the Covid-19 pandemic, the outbreak had a profound impact on the health and psycho-social well-being of the kids. 

    Closure of schools prevented children from gaining access to learning and limited interaction with their peers, said UNICEF in a statement.

  • Over 41,000 personnel across 28 states trained for protecting children’s mental health wellbeing: Smriti Irani ​

    Support Advocacy and Mental health interventions for children in Vulnerable circumstances And Distress is a national initiative to address mental health issue.

  • ‘Map all stations without forensic kits’: WCD Ministry to Bureau of Police Research and Development

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: Women and Child Development Minister Smriti Irani on Monday said her ministry has asked the Bureau of Police Research and Development to map all police stations in the country where forensic kits are not available.

    Speaking to the media, Irani said the ministry is exploring how forensic kits can be provided to these police stations using the Nirbhaya fund.

    She said her ministry, along with the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) and BPR&D, will work out how it can be done.

    Forensic kits are used for collection of evidence in sexual assault cases.

    V S K Koumudi, Special Secretary, MHA and DG BPR&D, said around 3,000 kits were provided initially for equipping and training officials.

    “Thereafter, last year 11,000 kits have been supplied so a total of 14,000 kits have been provided directly to sub-division,” he said.

    “It will give tremendous benefit to all the investigators which at this scale might not have been supplied earlier because of constraints but now a big gap on equipment side would definitely be taken care of.

    More than just crime control, crime prevention and crime detection we feel now police has to re-orient itself for more positive role in securing the environment for women and children,” he said.

    Irani said the ministry is also looking for merging all helplines for women across the country “We are looking for amalgamation of all helplines across the country so they don’t have to remember multiple numbers as they travel through states but we have already engaged with the Home Ministry on it,” Irani said.

    She said children helpline will stay separate but it will be revamped too.

    Giving details on one-stop centres for women in distress, Irani said 3,08,000 women have been helped through these facilities.

    She said in the next two weeks the ministry has called meeting of all state commissions for women and child rights and one-stop centres as well to ascertain where they would need additional support.

    Irani held the interaction on the sidelines of a seminar with aspirational districts and 100 districts with the highest rates of crimes against women and children.

  • ‘Trinamool bhagao, BJP lao, Bangla bachao’: Smriti Irani coins slogan for Bengal polls

    By ANI
    WEST MEDINIPUR: Taking a jibe at West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, Union Minister Smriti Irani on Sunday said that the people of the state wanted ‘TMC (Trinamool Congress) bhagao, BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party) lao, Bangla bachao’.

    Addressing a public rally at Salboni to support Medinipur BJP candidate Samit Das, Irani claimed that Mamata had taken undue credit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s welfare schemes for the poor in the state.

    “PM Modi sent Rs 4 lakh crore from Delhi for the poor people and the development of the state, but Didi, when you were supporting the previous Congress governments at the Centre, how much money did you spent?… Didi has supported those who have looted India’s treasury and have raised their voices against the nation,” she said.

    “The people of Bengal have decided that it is time for Didi’s game to be over. The people want ‘TMC bhagao, BJP lao, Bangla bachao’,” she quipped.

    Irani also said that since coming to power, the Mamata-led state government, for the first time, disallowed immersion of Maa Durga idol and Saraswati Puja celebrations in West Bengal.

    “She is saying ‘Khela hobe’ (Game on), but the people are saying ‘Khela shesh’ (Game over)… The way elections are taking place, the whole country has become aware that the people of Bengal have decided that TMC will be departing this time. ”Pishi’ (Aunt) and ‘Bhaipo’ (Nephew) are going, and the BJP government is coming to Bengal,” she further mentioned, while also accusing her and TMC of playing with the dignity and life of Bengal’s women and the poor.

    She also urged the people to press the lotus button on March 27 and give their blessings to Das.

    West Bengal is likely to witness a triangular contest this time with TMC, Congress-Left alliance and the BJP in the fray.

    Elections to 294-member West Bengal Assembly will be held in eight phases starting from March 27 with the final round of voting taking place on April 29. The counting of votes will take place on May 2.

  • Congress most corrupt party; vote for BJP to continue to avail centre and state schemes: Smriti Irani

    By PTI
    MARIANI: Union Textiles Minister Smriti Zubin Irani on Saturday described Congress as the “most corrupt party” and appealed to the people to vote for the BJP to continue to avail benefits of various central and state schemes.

    Addressing her maiden election campaign rally in Assam, she said Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal have rolled out a number of schemes, benefitting the poor people of the state.

    “There is no one more corrupt than Congress. Only BJP is the party, which works for the benefit of the poors.

    “The BJP government has worked tirelessly for the people in tea gardens across the state,” said Irani, also the Minister of Women and Child Development.

    Irani had defeated Congress leader Rahul Gandhi in his family seat of Amethi in Uttar Pradesh in 2019 general election.

    Listing out a series of schemes launched by the central and state governments, she said the Congress government never worked for the poor people and appealed to the people to vote for the BJP in the assembly polls.

    Without naming former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who was a Rajya Sabha MP from Assam, Irani said “There are some tall leaders of Congress from Assam who even became PM. But, AIIMS came to Assam only during Narendra Modi’s tenure.”

    She was in Mariani to campaign for BJP candidate Ramani Tanti, who is facing a direct contest with the sitting three-time heavyweight Congress MLA Rupjyoti Kurmi.

    Mariani constituency will go to polls in the first phase on March 27.

  • Smriti Irani attacks Congress over Hooda riding tractor pulled by women, BJP seeks his apology

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: The BJP on Thursday attacked the Congress over its leader Bhupinder Singh Hooda riding a tractor being pulled its women legislators to protest the rise in fuel prices and asked if women in a political organisation be treated as “bonded labourers”.

    Union minister and BJP leader Smriti Irani said it was “absolutely shocking” to see the former Haryana chief minister sitting calmly on a tractor while having woman members of his party pull it physically.

    In a separate statement, BJP Mahila Morcha (women wing) chief Vanathi Srinivasan said they are organising a nationwide agitation against the “mistreatment” of women by Congress leaders and sought Hooda’s unconditional apology for his alleged misconduct.

    Irani said here, “I understand he wants to protest. I understand he wants to make a political statement but should that be done at the cost of women? This is irrespective of our politics.

    “Can women in political organisations, especially the scene we saw in this protest by the Congress, be treated as bonded labourers. It is shocking no male member of the Congress even intervened to stop that.”

    Hooda had earlier defended this, saying it was women who were feeling the pinch of the rising prices of cooking gas and other essentials.

    Taking a swipe at Congress president Sonia Gandhi, Irani, who is the women and child development minister, said her silence also speaks volumes about how the women in her party are reduced to tasks that even men refuse to do.

    Noting that Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar expressed his anguish at the protest on the floor of the Assembly, Irani said it was ironical that on the one hand Prime Minister Narendra Modi called for celebrating female potential and enterprise on International Women’s Day and on the other, Hooda reduced their stature and compelled them to pull a tractor atop which he sat for a “political stunt”.

    He did this for a “family enterprise” called the Congress, she said, noting that the incident had happened on International Women’s Day on March 8.

    Echoing Khattar’s view, she asked couldn’t Hooda have extended the courtesy of allowing the women to ride the tractor, that too on International Women’s Day.

    Asked if she had any demand, Irani quipped, “Should not they (Congress) have been conscientious enough to act on their own.”

    Describing Hooda’s conduct as “shocking and deeply distressing”, Srinivasan said “such cruel, irresponsible behaviour does not befit someone who has held positions of great influence and power for considerable amount of time.”

    She said Modi has introduced and implemented several programmes in Haryana state in which woman empowerment has been given top priority.

    Khattar has also done commendable work towards woman empowerment but, sadly, Hooda’s behaviour negates the positive impact.

    The Haryana chief minister had turned emotional while criticising the protest, saying he could not sleep all night due to the visuals.

    “This treatment to women MLAs was worse than bonded labour,” he had said in the state Assembly on Tuesday.

    Htting back, Hooda had said it was women who were feeling the pinch of the rising prices of cooking gas and other essentials.

    However, Khattar said if he had to protest, he should have pulled the tractor.

    On this, Hooda said, “The government has turned a blind eye to the pain of women who are sitting with farmers protesting on borders against farm laws. Power connections were cut at the protest site, you cannot see their pain.”