At the Lalit Ashok hotel here on Friday morning, the BJP national executive was having a serious discussion on the Modi government's foreign policy. By noon, the news of union minister Smriti Irani's complaint of a prying camera at the Fabindia trial room in Goa grabs the media headlines.
At the Lalit Ashok hotel here on Friday morning, the BJP national executive was having a serious discussion on the Modi government's foreign policy. By noon, the news of union minister Smriti Irani's complaint of a prying camera at the Fabindia trial room in Goa grabs the media headlines.
The displeasure over Irani revelation eclipsing the party conclave, attended by the entire union cabinet – barring Najma Heptullah and Irani herself – was palpable in party spokesperson Meenakshi Lekhi's late night tweet, terming Irani issue as an "inane" one. An hour later she clarifies in another tweet, that she was blaming the media, and not Irani.
"Something like the national executive meeting, where the Prime Minister talks of a new revolution based on four colours of the national tricolour and discussions on the foreign policy, was not given due importance," Lekhi told dna. Lekhi is part of the team of office-bearers attending the national executive.
She insisted that all her three tweets be read before drawing conclusions as they were self-explanatory. "Do I smell a RAT to obfuscate the BJP national executive meeting, attempts being made not to cover NE meeting, instead cover some other inane issues?" Lekhi had tweeted. Later, she said: "Responses to my previous tweet show the intent; while one story is relevant as news, other is a discussion material, questioning not Smriti ji, but media for emphasis."
A third tweet said, "whoever wants to quote or play the recent tweets please play both to avoid any spin or confusion."
Irani's claims had come on a day when the party's two-day conclave had just begun. Besides party president Amit Shah's address and the resolution on foreign policy, Prime Minister Narendra Modi was to hold a rally in the city.
Irani's appointment as human resource development minister with cabinet rank had raised several eyebrows, particularly among the younger MPs of the party. Lekhi, a lawyer, had been vociferously defending the party as spokesperson. Irani not finding a place in the national executive came as an even bigger surprise for party members.
The complaint about the camera at the trial room of Fabindia near Panaji has led to a high-level probe in Goa. Irani was on a two-day holiday in Goa.
"There is no need for a discussion on this; instead, there is need for clarity. The country is happy with the performance of the government. Any controversy on some statement is unnecessary. Every responsible party worker should have realisation of this responsibility," finance minister Arun Jaitley said when asked about the controversial comments of members.
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