A witty remark of the Union Minister Smriti Irani, directed at the Congress party on Saturday brought attention to a past incident when she contested against Rahul Gandhi in Amethi during the 2014 elections. At that time, the Congress party had mockingly asked, “Smriti who?” as they seemingly underestimated her political prowess. However, fate had a different plan, and Smriti Irani emerged victorious, defeating Rahul Gandhi in the 2019 Lok Sabha election.
Humorously highlighting her political journey, Smriti Irani playfully pointed out the transformation from being an unknown entity to being referred to as “RaGa Irani” by the Congress party. It seems she has come a long way in the political landscape, and now the Congress tweets about her incessantly, particularly in response to her tweets about Rahul Gandhi.
Despite her witty retort, Smriti Irani also made a subtle correction, noting that the Congress should at least get her name right if they are going to mention her so frequently.
However, amidst the lighthearted exchange, there was a more serious underlying issue. Smriti Irani criticized the Congress party for attacking her over her alleged “silence” on the distressing Manipur viral video. The video depicted a horrifying incident where two women were stripped naked and paraded by a mob of men in Thoubal district, which sparked nationwide outrage.
While the Congress has been vocal in its criticism of her, Smriti Irani accused the party of avoiding meaningful discussions on the matter in Parliament. In contrast, she emphasized that the government is fully prepared to engage in discussions regarding the situation in Manipur in both houses of Parliament.
Delving deeper into the matter, Smriti Irani pointed out that the Opposition’s reluctance to engage in discussions is likely due to the fact that they would have to address accountability for crimes against women in their own respective states.
Her appeal to the Opposition was to avoid using crimes against women as mere tools to settle political scores and instead focus on meaningful discussions and collaborative solutions to address this grave issue that affects society as a whole.