Ex-Union Minister Smriti Irani has been making news while stepping back into the shoes of ‘Tulsi Virani’, a well-known household name from ‘Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi’, a popular soap opera of the 90’s, first aired on Television 25 years ago. Speculations are all time high about a glitzy political career at stake after a shocking defeat in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections to KL Sharma of the Congress in the high- profile constituency Amethi.
Irani joined the Bharatiya Janata Party in 2003 and made her political debut the following year, in the 2004 Lok Sabha election. The Congress’ Kapil Sibal crushed her by over 80,000 votes in the contest for the New Delhi constituency. In 2014 she was beaten again, this time by Rahul Gandhi in Uttar Pradesh’s Amethi. But the ‘part-time actor, full-time politician’, as she described herself on a TV interview, had the last laugh.
In 2019 she returned to Amethi and then stunned Rahul Gandhi from his family stronghold. Instantly, she became the star politician of the BJP. From 2019 to 2024 Irani rose meteorically within the party holding many important portfolios such as the minister for Human Resources Develoment , Textiles, Information and Broadcasting, Women and Child Development, and Minority affairs.
Her HRD ministry stint was saw her face criticism as it was no mean portfolio and was held by stalwarts like Arjun Singh , Kapil Sibal, MM Joshi and Shashi Tharoor who was MoS in then Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh Government.
On her return to the television, Irani said, “I have always juggled my acting assignments and political responsibilities simultaneously. Just like many politicians are part-time lawyers, part-time teachers, part-time journalists. I just happen to be a part-time actor. I’ve done it simultaneously, which is what I think is difficult to grasp.”
She further added, “Like I said, the only difference between me and my other political workers is they are part-time lawyers, and there’s no videographer along with them. There’s no makeup person along with them, there’s a script writer. It’s just that we’re all from different locations. I’m just the one in the spotlight.”
Politics kept her busy for 25 years, ever since she had been a BJP office-bearer since 2004, when she was appointed Vice President of the party’s Maharashtra youth wing. But despite being so busy the ‘actor’ in her never faded away. “Many people today are flabbergasted… they ask, ‘how do you manage?’ But I have been managing… Life cannot be all roses…” she said, underlining the importance of hard work.
Finally, on her return to the TV screen, and the role that made her famous, Irani said, “… to have a 25-year-run in media and politics… That is blessed because never has somebody managed to be successful in both these very competitive fields. And more so, if you’re a woman to be at the top of the game continuously for two-and-a-half decades is no mean feat.”
For sure, Irani seems to be destiny’s child to have savoured the taste of super success in acting as well as in politics. But the buzz still remains about her returning to active politics in near future!
