The Hindu : New Delhi News : I am `Delhi ki beti', says Smriti

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Apr 20, 2004

New Delhi

New Delhi

I am `Delhi ki beti', says Smriti

By Our Staff Reporter

NEW DELHI, APRIL 19. An astrologer had once predicted that she will not achieve much in life and it was better that she was married off for good. Proving the prophets of doom and her detractors wrong, this simple Punjabi girl from Delhi has risen to become one of the most popular television stars. And now she is all set to make her political debut in the city where she has been born and brought up.

Meet Smriti "Tulsi'' Irani, the famous television "bahu'' and now the Bharatiya Janata Party candidate from the prestigious Chandni Chowk seat. An excellent orator, Smriti is all set to take on her equally hi-profile opponent and the Congress candidate, Kapil Sibal. "I have spent nearly 22 years of my life in Delhi. I have been born and brought up here. It is wrong on the part of my detractors to label me as an outsider,'' the actress of "Saas Bhi Kabhie Bahu Thi'' fame told reporters at a press conference here today.

Twenty-eight-year-old Smriti said she represented the aspirations of the youth and self-dependence of women. Terming herself as "Delhi ki beti'', the anchor of the television show "Dil Se'' said she had come back from Mumbai, where she is now based, to get the love and affection of the people of Delhi, particularly Chandni Chowk. Promising to shift her residence to Delhi for good if elected to Parliament, she said she would cut down on her television assignments to be among the people of Chandni Chowk and solve their problems.

Asked what were the main problems faced by the residents of Chandni Chowk, a somewhat defensive Smriti said she would focus on better educational infrastructure, better roads and work for the welfare of women. Asked if the senior BJP leader and Union Minister, Sushma Swaraj, had opposed her entry, Smriti replied that she had got the blessings of Ms.Swaraj before coming here. Stating that she did not believe in astrology, Smriti said that she would be filing her nomination papers on March 23. Interestingly, she had addressed her first public meeting in the Capital at Chandni Chowk during the recently concluded Assembly polls. She is also the vice-president of the Maharashtra Youth Wing and promises to take up her political career very seriously.

Taking a cue from the Prime Minister, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, to raise the level of debate on various issues, Smriti said she was for a national debate on the issue of foreign origin of the Congress president, Sonia Gandhi. The entire debate and references regarding the "videshi bahu'' have to be made in a dignified manner and there should not be no hitting below the belt.

Asked in what way she was different from "Tulsi'' of the "Saas Bhi Kabhie Bahu Thi'' fame, the actress-turned-politician said she was not as patient as Tulsi and was a go getter. "I am a very impatient person and want to get through with things as fast as possible. I would try to be the most accessible Member of Parliament and ensure that my track record with regard to working inside Parliament is also unblemished.''