Former Union minister Smriti Irani on Friday spoke about 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 said she had never viewed politics as a means of financial gain.
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"In a country of 1.4 billion people, if you can contribute politically any role given is nothing but a privilege," she said.
Irani, who held several portfolios in the Modi government, said 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.
"I cannot divorce the two," she said of her organisational work and political career.
Irani also 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.
