Politics, power and prices to pay with Smriti Irani

Meanwhile, the Economic Times daily newspaper is available online now.

Key points

• Smriti IraniEconomic Times World Leaders Forumpolitics and women empowermentpolitical challenges for womenAmethi Lok Sabha win2029 Lok Sabha electionwomen in politicsNational Education Policy.
• ET World Leaders Forum 2026: Smriti Irani on politics, power and the cost of being a woman.
• Power shift, a déjà vu: Air India could be new CEO's toughest flight yet.
• "In a country of 1.4 billion people, if you can contribute politically any role given is nothing but a privilege, " she remarked.
• Smriti Irani shared her political journey and challenges faced by women.

ET World Leaders Forum 2026: Smriti Irani on politics, power and the cost of being a woman. ET OnlineLast Updated: Aug 21, 2026, 11: 44: 00 AM IST.

Smriti Irani shared her political journey and challenges faced by women. She spoke regarding balancing motherhood with her demanding professional and political careers. Irani highlighted attacks on women in politics often target character assassination. She emphasized that leadership is not defined by gender alone. Irani additionally reflected on her electoral victory and democratic opportunities.

Former Union minister Smriti Irani on Friday spoke regarding her journey from television to politics, the challenges faced by women in public life, balancing motherhood with work and the need to bring together the impatience of youth with the experience of older generations. Speaking at the Economic Times World Leaders Forum in New Delhi, Irani described political office as a privilege and remarked she had never viewed politics as a means of financial gain.: Smriti Irani to Ram Madhav: New BJP team marks comeback of numerous sidelined faces.

"In a country of 1.4 billion people, if you can contribute politically any role given is nothing but a privilege, " she remarked. Irani, who held a number of portfolios in the Modi administration, noted her years in Parliament had given her opportunities to work on areas including education and textiles. She cited the National Education Policy, the National Institutional Ranking Framework and the SWAYAM platform among the initiatives she was involved in as education minister. Live Events.

"I cannot divorce the two, " she remarked of her organisational work and political career. Irani additionally recalled returning to professional work after an 18-year break from television, saying she wanted to establish whether she was still capable of succeeding in the profession she had left behind. She remarked her decision to enter politics had been driven by a desire to contribute rather than earn. "Politics was never regarding a monetary gain. It was regarding contributing, " Irani stated. On the challenges of being a working mother, Irani recalled campaigning when her child was only two months old. She remarked she would feed her baby, put the child to sleep, work through the night, return home when the baby woke up and then catch a flight to campaign. "I think the difference between me and the other working mothers in the country is that I have a microphone and they don't, " she remarked. "I think I did that for a month straight, so I slept on flights and worried about the baby, and then fulfilled my political and contractual obligations, " she continued. Add Now!

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