‘My son collapsed; PM Modi called me, asked kya hua’: Smriti Irani

Union minister Smriti Irani in a YouTube interview with Ranveer Allahabadia recollected an incident when her son collapsed and she was running between AIIMS and Parliament; and PM Modi called her and assured her all help she needed with the hospital or the work.

“In Parliament, there was this controversy that she banned Christmas holidays after she asked for a good governance day essay on December 25. This was my first year as a politician in New Delhi. I ran to AIIMS. Next day I had answers to give in Parliament,” Smriti Irani said.

“When your baby collapses, it’s like your world comes crashing down. In the midst of this mayhem, the boss calls, ‘kya hua?’. I was like my kid collapsed. Can you imagine having this conversation with Prime Minister Narendra Modi? He said ‘look after your kid and tell me what you need’. ‘You need help with the hospital, with work, just tell me’, he said. That’s what makes him the person you want to die for, you want to go to war for such a person,” Smriti Irani said adding that everyone claiming to have known PM Modi up and close are actually ‘saying crap’ and those who know him up ad close are never in the media.

‘I refused a paan masala ad because…’: Smriti Irani

“When I started out the project (Kyunki saas bhi kabhi bahu thi), I had zero money, not even ₹28,000-30,000 in the bank. I had borrowed money from a bank to buy a house. It does not sound flashy right now but it was around ₹27 lakh-28 lakh. I remember I could just scrape by to give the downpayment of the house. I remember somebody walking into my set one day offering me an ad for paan masala. That money was exactly 10 times the money that I owed the bank. I refused the ad. And people looked at me as though I have gone absolutely crazy. I knew there were families watching, youngsters watching. Can you imagine somebody who is making you feel a part of the family (Tulsi) suddenly start selling paan masala,” Smriti Irani said.

‘I consciously avoided Tulsi in politics’

Smriti Irani said she never wore Tulsi’s costume and never used Tulsi’s dialogue to seek votes. It was a conscious decision, Smriti Irani said.

‘Mamata Banerjee a Hindu and can head minority ministry…’

On the controversy over heading the minority affairs ministry being a practising Hindu, Smriti Irani said, “When you are in a Constituional position, you can’t say I will serve you only if you are from my community, caste, age bracket, gender. Mamata Banerjee being a Hindu was heading the minorities ministry in her state. It become a big issue when I am given that responsibility. My issue is if you are truly a secular state, then it does not matter who is sitting on the chair.”