Just one year before the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, Modi did a major Cabinet reshuffle in which Smriti Irani was replaced by her deputy Rajyavardhan Rathore as the new information and broadcasting minister. Now Smriti will have only one portfolio i.e. Textile ministry.
Irani was in this portfolio for around one year. She took over after Venkaiah Naidu resigned for this portfolio. Her ministry was with lot of controversies and these controversies seem to have took a toll on her career. Recently Irani announced a decision to constitute a committee to frame rules to regulate news portals and media websites that created lot of controversy as it was seen as attempt to gag free press. But later, following orders from the PMO (read it Modi), Smriti Irani had to withdraw this decision. Her ministry withdrew its press release which stated that journalists who “created” or “propagated” fake news would have lost their accreditation with the government.
Another latest controversy is during the national award ceremony, which most filmmakers boycotted the event after they got to know that the awards will be presented to them by Irani and not President Ram Nath Kovind, as has been the tradition.
This incident exposed bureaucratic mishandling. But what made it even worse is when officials of the I&B ministry attempted to blame the Rashtrapati Bhawan for this incident. But later clarification issued by Rashtrapati Bhawan on this matter. Pulling president’s house into controversy seems to have irked PMO too.
Of course, controversies are not new to Irani. This is the second time that Irani’s portfolio cut short. She was earlier handling bigger role with HRD Ministry. Later she has been moved from that key ministry to the relatively low-profile Textile Ministry. Irani was sharply criticised for her handling of the row over Dalit scholar Rohith Vemula suicide at Hyderabad university and this seems to have made PM cut short her role. The way she responded projected BJP as anti-Dalit party.
She also involved in another controversy – She claimed to have secured a degree from Yale University, but it transpired that she had only attended a week-or so-long program under the India-Yale Parliamentary Leadership Program. Earlier also she had controversy regarding her education qualification. In 2014, she submitted to the Election Commission that she completed her BA in 1996 through a long-distance or correspondence program from the University of Delhi. But later she claimed that she had secured a commerce degree from the School of Open Learning, Delhi University.
Durga Devi controversy, Issues with Prasar Bharati bureaucrats, etc all put a mark on her career. But it seems row with Rashtrapathi Bhavan is the main reason for this latest development. Probably its high time she mends her ways.
