The Hindu : Television star joins BJP

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Nov 16, 2003

National

National

Television star joins BJP

By Neena Vyas

Television actress Smriti Z. Irani of the `Saas bhi kabhi bahu thi' showing the receipt after signing the membership form to join the BJP watched by senior leaders Pramod Mahajan and Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi in New Delhi on Saturday. — Photo: S. Subramanium

NEW DELHI NOV. 15. The Bharatiya Janata Party has now acquired its own `bahu' (daughter-in-law), very much the `swadeshi' variety, and in the days to come she is likely to be used in the campaigning for the Assembly elections.

Smriti Z. Irani who acts as Tulsi (the long suffering `bahu' who silently endures every humiliation and is totally self-effacing), the heroine of the `saas bhi kabhi bahu thi' television serial, is all set to make her political debut. She joined the BJP today and the person who ``caught'' her and persuaded her to work for the party was the former Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra and BJP leader from the State, Gopinath Munde. He was here today at the party office to welcome and introduce her to the media.

The cameramen fought to click her, the electronic media had its OB vans ready to allow television channels to ``break news'' and send out the flashes ``live''.

And reporters had their pen and paper ready to jot down what she had to say. The BJP spokespersons, Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi and Prakash Javadekar, were also present.

``Like Tulsi, the character in the serial portrayed by her, had she lost her memory and walked into the wrong house?'' That question was shot at her by a journalist who herself clearly followed every turn and twist in the heart-wringing serial that has fawned a whole new range of serials based on perennial domestic sagas — the tensions between husband and wife, between daughter-in-law and mother-in-law and between daughters-in-law and sisters-in-law.

Tulsi was quick to respond to the question. No, she had her memory intact, no question of losing her way or entering the BJP by mistake. The party, she said, had promised to allow her to work in any area she chose, and she named exploitation of children as one area of interest.

``What does she think of the Congress president?'' Mrs. Irani was quick with the answer. ``All women should be given respect...but self-respect does not allow us to think of being ruled by a `foreign-born' woman.''

The day was made for the BJP and the heroine had indeed been initiated into the art of politics.

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