It's yet another (punishment?) transfer for Smriti Irani. The TV actress-turned-politician was relieved of the information and broadcasting portfolio in the latest cabinet rejig yesterday. She will now be limited to only the textiles portfolio. Her junior minister Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore is the new minister of state with independent charge of the ministry.
The change comes a few days after the controversy regarding the awarding of the National Film Awards. The decision to have President Ram Nath Kovind present only 11 National Film Awards and have Irani and Rathore present the rest had sparked off protests from the film fraternity and general public. Over 70 recipients boycotted the event.
Prior to this, Irani came under fire for a press release issued by the I&B ministry which sought to punish journalists if found circulating fake news, by cancelling their accreditation. However, following widespread backlash from the media, in less than 24 hours, the PMO directed the order be withdrawn, adding that the matter of fake news should be addressed by the Press Council of India.
Another major row during her tenure was the stand-off between the ministry and the Prasar Bharti. It was reported that the I&B ministry had withheld the funds to the Prasar Bharti for January and February 2018, “as retaliation for not obeying certain dictates of the Ministry”. The ministry, expectedly, denied the allegations and clarified that the funds were withheld because the autonomous body did not sign an MoU with the ministry.
The BJP's once-upon-a-time poster girl is no stranger to controversies. Here’s looking back at some of the prominent controversies involving Irani.
Threatened to fast until death for Modi’s resignation
In 2004, she threatened to fast until Narendra Modi, then chief minister of Gujarat, resigned. She blamed him for the electoral losses the party had faced and also for the way he handled the communal violence in Gujarat that led to a loss of over 1,000 lives, mostly Muslims. However, she withdrew the statement soon after the party disapproved of her conduct.
Educational degree
On May 26, 2014, she was appointed the human resource development minister by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. This decision was criticised because of her lack of formal education. She also made contradictory declarations in her affidavits during the 2004 and 2014 elections. In her 2004 affidavit, she had mentioned "B.A. 1996 Delhi University (School of Correspondence)” and in her 2014 affidavit she stated "Bachelor of Commerce Part-1, School of Open Learning (Correspondence), University of Delhi-1994". The case was dismissed because the complainant did not appear in court.
Appointment of Vishram Jamdar as chairman of VNIT
During her tenure as HRD minister, she was accused of making a biased decision by appointing Vishram Jamdar as the chairman of Visvesvaraya National Institute of Technology, Nagpur. Four other candidates were suggested by the HRD ministry for the post. Jamdar had sent her a job application with a letter in which he stated that he was an “RSS person”, which, allegedly, tipped the scale in his favour. He denied all allegations and said that he was chosen because of the work that he has done for the institution as a member of the board of governors.
IIT Delhi director resigns two years before end of his term
Raghunath K.S. Shevgaonkar's resignation raised many eyebrows. It was alleged that the HRD ministry pressured him to do so because he failed to adhere to certain demands posed by the ministry, one of which was to release the salary dues of a BJP functionary who was a faculty member. The HRD ministry denied all allegations. Shevgaonkar said he was resigning for personal reasons.
Sanskrit as the third language instead of German in Kendriya Vidyalayas
The decision was made in the middle of the academic year with only three months left for the annual exams, which caused trouble for all students. The schools were asked to stop teaching German as the third language in schools and instead switch to Sanskrit or any other modern Indian language. During a meeting with the board of governors of Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan, Irani also announced that, henceforth, approval from the HRD ministry would be required to teach any foreign language in the institutions. She attempted to defend her decisions by saying it was a violation of the three-language formula and her motive was not to promote the Sanskrit language in schools.
Sanskirt was the bone of contention yet again as there was a move to introduce the language as part of the curiculum in all IITs to “facilitate the study of science and technology as reflected in Sanskrit literature”. However, it was seen as an act of propaganda and was not received well. Irani later clarified that it was to be introduced as an elective and not as a compulsory subject.
Irani's response to Rohit Vemula's suicide
In 2016, Irani gave a speech in Parliament in response to the opposition’s allegations of unnecessary interference in the functioning of central universities. Her speech was melodramatic and factually incorrect. She claimed that no doctor was allowed near the body and if they had been allowed, he could have been resuscitated. The university medical officer was the first to respond to her claim and she clarified that Vemula had died 2-3 hours before he was found. His brother also testified that the hostel room was swarming with doctors and police officers. Vemula’s supporters testified that he was a victim of caste discrimination and that Irani along with another union minister Bandaru Dattatreya forced the university to punish him.
The arrest of Kanhaiya Kumar
During a protest staged by the students of JNU, “anti-national” slogans were raised criticising Irani and the BJP-led Union government. She sought to justify the arrest of JNU student union president Kanhaiya Kumar saying he was seen engaging in anti-national activities within the campus by the JNU authorities themselves. Her actions and speeches were heavily criticised by the opposition.
Dec 25 as Good Governance Day in all Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas
Although Dec 25 is a public holiday, the schools would have had to function if Irani had her way with this decision. It was seen as an attack on Christians, and they accused the government of trying to overshadow the importance of Christmas. Being a residential school, students in the campus were expected to attend an essay-writing competition. Irani said that attending the competition was “online and voluntary” but her statement was contradictory to the Navodaya circular, which mentioned other activities like documentary screenings and quiz contest, which required the children to be present on the campus.
Separate canteens in IITs for vegetarian students
In a letter addressed to the IITs, the ministry said that students who consume non-vegetarian food were engaging in an act that would corrupt the vegetarians. The proposal came after a Katni-based trader, S.K. Jain, sent a letter saying the non-vegetarian students were “deviating students from the Indian value system” by dining in the same space. Jain was not even an IITian. The proposal would have made more sense if it was a plea from the students but the issue was taken up by other organisations.