For Textile Minister Smriti Irani, fashion is pret-a-politics.
So, what can Irani do to stay relevant and on top of the political sweepstakes with just the low-profile Textile Ministry in her charge? Remember the last time when she was sacked as HRD minister? Irani grabbed eyeballs, that too in the midst of an all-important BJP party leadership meeting in Goa, when the stung minister, who was also not invited, soon eclipsed the high-profile convention with hell and fury over an affront to her modesty inside a neighbouring FabIndia store, where she alleged a security camera was pointed towards her in the changing room.
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ContributeWhile it’s anybody’s guess whether Irani will pull another stunt to embarrass the party again, here are five ways Irani can still call the shots and hold her position as Queen of Controversy and Quarrel:
1. The last big controversy that Irani dived into was at the National film awards felicitation in the Capital a few weeks ago, when President Ramnath Kovind was made to feel annoyed and displeased for the unnecessary scandal that erupted about the ceremony. The President’s office had made it clear he would stick to the rules and stay only for an hour to give away the top awards, but Irani’s ministry didn’t make the announcement until a day before when it declared the rest of the awards would be presented by the Minister herself! It invited howls of protests from filmmakers who boycotted the ceremony saying the awards were not given by the government but by the nation, represented by the President.
Irani can give her counter by taking over Vigyan Bhavan and awarding the Textile Ministry’s Shilpi Guru and national awards to master craftspersons herself, and relieve the beleaguered president of his ceremonial duties and obligations. With one stroke Irani can not only create a rumpus but add to the Modi government’s notoriety of mocking Dalits, with this ministerial snub to a Dalit president.
Irani can have a field day in Hindutva-ising the convocation dress and invite nation-wide protests and revolts from students and secularists alike.
If as I&B minister, Irani dropped films with names like Nude and S Durga from the International film festival even after jury selection, she can now force fashion designers to not use the word ‘nude’ as a commonly used colour reference point; just like saffron, champagne etc.
Neither does she like the word ‘dear’ addressed to her, which she finds sexist. This sentiment emerged when a Twitter spat broke out between Irani and a Bihar minister last June. She can, therefore, ban fashion designers’ fave calls of endearment like ‘darlin’ ‘honey’ ‘slut’ and suchlike.
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