One of Union minister Smriti Irani’s recent posts was captioned ‘a little eyeliner and it’s a new spin to old me’.
New Delhi: One would never know from Smriti Irani’s Instagram posts that the former information and broadcasting (I&B) minister’s tenure was riddled with controversy and criticism.
Currently the union minister for textiles, the former TV star led the I&B ministry for fewer than 10 months before being divested of the key portfolio in May.
Through all the scandal surrounding her policy decisions — from the ban on “explicit” condom ads on TV between 6 am and 10 pm, to the fake news directive criticised for curbing press freedom — Irani’s #throwbackthursdays and #mondaymorning musings on Instagram never ceased.
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Meanwhile, in the days since she lost the I&B portfolio, her posts have frequently entered territory that would be deemed risqué for the Indian politician.
Just last week, she put up a selfie captioned “a little eyeliner and it’s a new spin to old me”. Her “new look” soon had over 24,000 likes on Instagram — her fans, it appears, welcomed her return from the “ideal Indian bahu” archetype she projected as a politician.
#Tulsi throwbacks
Irani’s personal life seems pretty run of the mill. She likes to take naps, eat, spend time with family, pray and share snippets of advice with her 218k followers. Quite often, the advice is inspired by the minion protagonists of Despicable Me.
Compared to her Twitter account, which has 8.32 million followers and a more firebrand Irani at the helm, the Rajya Sabha member’s Instagram account might as well be run by a different person.
For one, Irani’s Instagram account is rarely political. Apart from a few pictures with politicians (shoutout to BJP MP Subramanian Swamy, former President Pranab Mukherjee and union minister Piyush Goyal), posts celebrating the Army’s achievements, or the odd smiling photograph with female constituents, Irani largely refrains from showcasing her political avatar here.
However, she loves Tulsi, the character she portrayed in the blockbuster TV series Kyunki Saans Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi for years.
She also loves to celebrate festivals, is often worried about her weight, takes selfies with her friends, and once tried the Keto diet fad.
Unfazed by controversy
The turmoil in her political career is expressed rarely, and even then it’s just hints packed in viral memes. Here’s a look at posts from Irani’s Instagram account from some of the particularly turbulent times of her I&B tenure.
Silence surrounding Padmaavat: In November 2017, the opposition, and even voices within the BJP, criticised the I&B ministry’s silence over the Padmaavat protests and the death threats issued to its team. Meanwhile, Irani was forming a #gujjuclub with actors Jackie Shroff and Manoj Joshi at the 2017 International Film Festival of India.
Veteran actor Shabana Azmi subsequently urged the film industry to boycott the event as a mark of protest against Irani’s silence.
However, Irani also used her Instagram to convey how stressed she was that month. It was, after all, a pretty “ruff” time for her.
Ban on condom ads: On 12 December, 2017, the I&B ministry sought to ban condom advertisements on television from 6 am to 10 pm over concerns that they were “indecent, especially for children”. Around this time, Irani was busy reliving #memories in #mumbai as #timefliesby.
I&B order ‘to curb fake news’: There’s nothing like a #Sundaysatsang to take Irani’s mind off the fact that her ministry is about to pass an order that threatens press freedom. In the controversial order dated 3 April, 2018, the ministry had threatened journalists who propagate “fake news” with the suspension of their government accreditation.
Nothing, however, could prepare her for the fact that the Prime Minister, who was said to be outraged by the order, would get it withdrawn.
A little over a week after the order was withdrawn, Irani was feeling the #fridayfeeling.
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She put up a picture asking her followers to “be you, the world will adjust”. The caption read, “In a world where every conversation is less talk and more combat, at a time when silence also speaks as loud as words just be you for there will be many who will try to challenge you, beat you down for being you.”
It’s also interesting to note that Irani’s guru, Gaur Gopal Das, has an Instagram account of his own. Follow @gaurgopaldas for ‘Life’s Amazing Secrets: How to find Balance and Purpose in your life’, and other motivational lessons.
#Smrekta: That is Smriti Irani + Ekta Kapoor, the MD of television behemoth Balaji Telefilms and the minister’s best friend.
By her own admission on the platform, Irani joined Instagram in May 2017 after being “pestered” by Kapoor — a friendship that ‘cost’ Doordarshan crores in revenue during Irani’s tenure in the I&B ministry.
Ironically, on 15 March, 2018, the same day that ThePrint released its exclusive report on the DD order, Irani told her followers to “do what is right, not what is easy” with this #tuesdaymotivation post.
#Everydayoftheweek: It’s pretty easy to tell that Irani misses Kapoor and Tulsi, the two people who appear frequently in her #throwbackthursday (tbt) posts. Every day of Irani’s week is marked by a different mood — #Mondaymornings are for missing sleep, and #tuesdaymotivation is for life advice.
