'Cleaned drains myself...': Smriti Irani says she did the ‘impossible' by defeating Rahul Gandhi in 2019 polls
Smriti Iran told India Today in an exclusive interview that after losing the 2014 Lok Sabha Elections, she spent the next five years working tirelessly on the ground.
'I cleaned drains myself, brought electricity to villages, built over a lakh homes, set up a medical college, a 200 bed hospital, a collector's office, a police line and even a fire station,' Irani was quoted as saying.
Five years later, in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, Smriti Irani ousted Rahul Gandhi to clinch his stronghold constituency, Amethi. However, in the 2024 general elections, she faced defeat at the hands of Congress leader Kishori Lal Sharma in a big upset for the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA).
When asked whether Irani could have defeated Rahul Gandhi again if he had contested in 2024 from Amethi, Irani responded with a smile, 'Absolutely, that's why he didn't contest.'
The former minister also clarified her less aggressive stance against Gandhi after the 2024 poll debacle. "Now, it's not my responsibility to be aggressive toward Rahul Gandhi. In 2024, the Gandhi family refused to face me. I can't chase after them," she said.
During the interview, Smriti Irani said the Gandhi family moved to contest from Wayanad due to its favourable social demographics.
'No intelligent leader willingly chooses a seat where defeat is certain,' she said. 'If a seat like that is given, it's only out of duty to the party. But in 2019, I turned the impossible into possible," she added.
Citing political history, Irani said losing from Amethi is not new for big leaders. "Sharad Yadav lost from Amethi, Menaka Gandhi lost. The Gandhi family only chose that seat due to favourable social equations," Irani said.
She added that her defeat would have been more painful had she not worked extensively in Amethi between 2014 and 2019.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Print
24 minutes ago
- The Print
Flow like water, don't explode like a bomb: BJP's dig at Rahul Gandhi on his ‘atom bomb' remarks
'If they explode a bomb, we will save the Constitution,' it said. The ruling party also slammed Gandhi for using 'undemocratic and undignified' language to target the poll panel. New Delhi, Aug 1 (PTI) Responding to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's claim that his party has an 'atom bomb' of evidence against the Election Commission on poll irregularities, the BJP on Friday asked him to 'flow like water' instead of 'exploding like a bomb'. The response comes after the Congress leader claimed that his party has 'open and shut' evidence of alleged poll irregularities by the Election Commission. Likening the proof to an atom bomb, Gandhi said that the poll panel will have no place to hide when it explodes. Replying to a query from reporters on the Congress leader's remarks, BJP leader Sambit Patra said, 'Will Rahul Gandhi explode like a bomb? What do you think? Their job is to explode. They have no other work to do.' He said the Opposition party speaks of such things because they have no faith in democracy. 'Think what kind of language this is: I (Gandhi) will explode on the Election Commission!' Patra told reporters at the BJP headquarters. 'You say 'I will go to Supreme Court against the Election Commission' or 'I will protest against it in a democratic manner', but 'exploding like a bomb'? The language (of Gandhi) itself is undemocratic and undignified,' Patra said. The BJP leader said the language Gandhi used shows that 'these people want to explode like bombs'. 'We have faith in democracy. If they detonate an atom bomb, we will save the Constitution,' Patra added. The BJP leader alleged that Gandhi, who is also the Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha, has been speaking in a 'threatening tone since the beginning' and has not 'spared anybody'. 'With one hand in pocket, he always speaks in a threatening tone. Just like in Hindi movies, where the villain always keeps one hand in pocket and says things like 'I will explode, I will hit you', he also keeps doing the same,' the BJP leader charged. 'This is not right. This doesn't suit a leader in a democracy, especially when you are the Leader of Opposition,' he said, adding, 'It does not suit Rahul Gandhi to explode like a bomb. You should flow like cool water. Don't explode like a bomb.' PTI PK PK RUK RUK This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.
Hindustan Times
24 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
Telangana High Court quashes defamation case against Revanth Reddy
The Telangana High Court on Friday quashed a defamation case against Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy in connection with a speech delivered by him during the Lok Sabha election campaign in 2024 after a BJP leader accused him of making false and baseless allegations against the saffron party. The BJP leader had stated that the statement was misleading and false, and that it had defamed the party and its workers.(AICC via PTI) The High Court allowed the petition filed by Revanth Reddy seeking to quash proceedings against him in the case pending trial before a Special Judicial First Class Magistrate (JFCM) for Excise cases (designated MP-MLA court) here. Telangana BJP General Secretary Kasam Venkateshwarlu had earlier filed a complaint in the special court accusing Revanth Reddy of making statements during an LS election meeting in Bhadradri Kothagudem district on May 4, 2024 that the BJP, if voted to power, would change the Constitution and abolish reservations. The BJP leader had stated that the statement was misleading and false, and that it had defamed the party and its workers. The Special JFCM for Excise cases in August 2024 has issued summons to Revanth Reddy asking him to appear personally before it. The Chief Minister subsequently approached the High Court challenging the complaint and to stay the proceedings initiated against him. The High Court had earlier granted him exemption from personal appearance before the trial court.
India Today
32 minutes ago
- India Today
Bail for nuns soon: Kerala BJP chief in damage control mode, meets church leaders
Calling the arrest of two nuns in Chhattisgarh a 'misunderstanding,' BJP State President Rajeev Chandrasekhar on Friday said they would be released on bail soon, and that the Prime Minister and Union Home Minister had assured that the state government would not oppose their bail met Metropolitan Archbishop of Thrissur, Mar Andrews Thazhath, the President of the Catholic Bishops Conference of India (CBCI), at the Bishop House in meeting comes amid widespread protests by the Christian community in Kerala against the BJP over the arrest. 'This is not a political issue. We are only trying to help the people,' Chandrasekhar told the media after the meeting. He claimed that the arrests stemmed from a procedural lapse under Chhattisgarh's law regulating private placement agencies, which requires young women moving across districts for work to be registered on a portal. 'That was not done. Hence the misunderstanding and police action,' he BJP leader also criticised the protests outside the Durg sessions court and the jail where the nuns were held, calling them 'political drama.' He alleged the demonstrations, reportedly led by Congress and Left groups, led to the case being transferred to an NIA response, the Congress-led UDF in Kerala slammed the BJP, accusing it of enabling attacks on the Christian community. 'It is the BJP government in Chhattisgarh that arrested the nuns in the first place,' said Leader of Opposition VD Satheesan. He reiterated that attacks against Christians were increasing and that last year's warning about BJP leaders visiting churches during Christmas had proven true.'Now even the church is saying, don't come with cakes,' Satheesan said, referring to the BJP's outreach efforts to the Christian also rejected claims that no Congress MPs from Chhattisgarh were involved in protests, stating that all senior leaders participated in the the meeting, Archbishop Thazhath said the church hoped the nuns would be granted bail during the day and described the police action against them as 'painful.' He also conveyed to Chandrasekhar the need to ensure the safety of the Christian community amid rising Thursday, Chandrasekhar had also met Syro-Malabar Church Major Archbishop Mar Raphael Thattil to inform him of steps being taken to secure the nuns' release, including assurances from the Prime Minister and Home nuns, Preethi Merry and Vandana Francis, along with Sukaman Mandavi, were arrested at Durg railway station on July 25 following a complaint by a local Bajrang Dal functionary who accused them of forcibly converting three girls from Narayanpur and trafficking them.- EndsMust Watch IN THIS STORY#Kerala
