Smriti Irani versus Priyanka Gandhi in UP

With the Congress trying to project Ms Priyanka Gandhi as the party’s main campaigner for the Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls, a section in the BJP wants Union textiles minister Smriti Irani to counter her in the state. Contrary to the perception that she has been shunted out of an important ministry, her camp claimed she was shifted from the high-profile human resources development ministry because the party intends to “use her extensively for the UP polls”. They claimed that even the party high command thinks that “none other than Smriti can counter Priyanka”.

Claiming that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP president Amit Shah “continue to have faith in her leadership qualities”, Ms Irani’s close aides said she would be introduced as the PM’s “chhoti behen (younger sister)” in UP to take on the Congress, particularly if the party decided to unleash Ms Priyanka Gandhi.

Ms Irani’s supporters claimed the game plan involving her removal from the HRD ministry was put into effect mainly because the party “needed her desperately in UP”. Her camp also did not rule out the possibility of her being projected as the BJP’s face for the UP Assembly polls. It was being argued that Ms Irani was the “best bet” for the BJP as she nearly defeated Congress scion Rahul Gandhi on his home turf, Amethi. Ms Irani is now expected to increase the frequency of her visits to Amethi. Incidentally, reports indicate that all poll surveys conducted in UP have put her popularity in single digits.

While her camp was mounting pressure on the party leadership to project her in UP in a new avatar, others felt that any move to unleash Ms Irani in UP in a major way would be “suicidal” for the BJP, which is desperately trying to woo dalits and OBCs. They pointed out that after the controversy that surrounded her following the suicide of dalit student Rohith Vemula in Hyderabad, Ms Irani “single-handedly damaged the BJP’s dalit vote bank” across the country. She had even gone to the extent of claiming that Rohith was not a dalit, but this boomeranged on the party. It was further claimed that she also alienated herself and the party from the youth, particularly by taking on the JNU students. It may be recalled that the day after she was shifted from HRD, JNU student leader Kanhaiya Kumar had tweeted: “Justice for Rohith is still awaited. Cabinet reshuffle is not punishment. Bye bye Smriti Irani.” Besides students, one of the main vote banks of the BJP in the 2014 general election, Ms Irani’s moves had also alienated liberal Hindus who had voted overwhelmingly for the BJP in the Lok Sabha polls as the party had promised “achche din” for the country, a senior BJP functionary said.