Shift to Textiles Ministry reflects PM’s faith in my ability to push reform package, says Irani

A day after she was removed as the HRD Minister, Smriti Irani said her new charge of the Textiles Ministry signified the faith the Prime Minister had in her ability to implement the recently announced reform package for the sector.

Irani dismissed questions on whether her shift from the high profile HRD Ministry to a relatively low profile ministry was aimed at giving her more time to focus on next year’s assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh, with a line from a Bollywood movie song.

“Kuchh toh log kahenge logon ka kaam hai kehna,” she quipped, indicating that people were bound to talk as it is their job to do so.

“I am happy that I have been given an opportunity especially when a special package has been announced for the sector.

This signifies that my party and especially the Prime Minister has faith that I have the capacity to implement the roadmap that was projected through the Cabinet for the rest of the country,” Irani told the media after taking charge as the Textiles Minister on Wednesday.

She said she was hopeful that the national textile policy will soon see the light of day.

On whether BJP president Amit Shah was behind her shift, Irani said that it was not individuals but the party which takes such decisions.

Controversial stint It is rumoured that one of the reasons behind her losing her HRD portfolio is the large number of controversies she got into in the last two years.

Her tenure at the HRD Ministry was marked by student agitations and Twitter spats, among other headline-hogging controversies. Whether it was the agitation over the death of Dalit student Rohith Vemula or more recently her confrontation with former Cabinet Secretary TSR Subramaniam (head of the committee carving the new education policy) over making public the content of the committee’s report, Irani has had a topsy-turvy ride.

Attracting criticism over ‘Gurutsav’, which was celebrated on Teachers’ Day as an effort to facilitate a conversation between Modi, teachers and students, she had to clarify that it was just an essay competition.

Dismissing any pressure on schools to ensure participation during the Prime Minister’s address, she had said that it was voluntary and “if the Prime Minister of a free India does not have the freedom to interact with students, then it is ridiculous”.

On the plus side, Irani successfully launched National Institutional Ranking Framework for educational institutions, rejigged UGC rules for tie-ups between Indian and foreign educational institutions, from overseeing toilet construction under Swacch Vidayalaya Initiative during her stint. Her shift in responsibilities notwithstanding, Irani believes that her popularity with the media is intact. “You (the media) have come here in the Textiles Ministry in such huge numbers probably for the first time,” she said.

COMMENT NOW