New Delhi: Union Human Resource Development Minister Smriti Irani choked on stage at the India Today Woman Summit on Saturday while recalling the moment when Prime Minister Narendra Modi called her his younger sister during an election rally in Amethi some months ago.
"The high point of my life was when Modi-ji called me his choti behen (little sister). If Modi wants me to give up my ministry, I will do that any day. But I will keep his blessings forever," she said.
Irani said she had felt emotional at the remark made during an election rally too since she did not expect Modi to be emotionally expressive.
"Though Modi calls me choti behen, I don't know him personally. I have spoken to him about work and projects. Modi is not emotionally expressive. It took a lot of him to publicly acknowledge me as his sister. Knowing this facet of him, I choke whenever I recall that incident," she said.
Praising the PM, she said Modi knew who worked in his government and who just flattered him. "My boss judges me not by what and how I speak but by the final outcome of my work," she said.
She said she had taken an oath to follow and uphold the Constitution of India and would not work to serve individual interests. "I'm the first woman HRD minister. When the Left and Right marched together on the issue of Delhi University's FYUP, someone said only a woman can make that possible," she said.
On the controversy over her higher education qualifications, Irani said: "My qualification is that I'm the mother of two students and the daughter of a teacher."
She said she strived for excellence. "If you ask me to sweep the floor, I will do it in the best possible way."
Asked how she saw herself 10 years later, she said: "After 10 years, my son will be 22 and daughter 23. I hope I will be able to resolve their fights peacefully and they get admissions in some college where cut-off marks have reached 100."
Asked if she would clear the controversy over her two educational qualifications in her two election affidavits, she said she would reply to this in court if a plea was filed.
She also said she did a leadership programme at Yale University as an MP. "And you can inspect the certificate if you want," she said.
