Thugging in Karnataka, begging in Kerala, and hugging the I.N.D.I.A. bloc in Delhi: Smriti

Smriti Irani, the Union Minister for Minority Affairs and Family and Child Development, criticized the I.N.D.I.A. bloc, saying that they are “thugging in Karnataka, begging in Kerala, and hugging in Delhi.”

Following his arrival from Mangaluru on Friday, the minister—who is now touring several regions of south India in anticipation of the Lok Sabha elections—spoke at an interactive discussion with businesspeople in the city.

“With the recent nomination of (Congress leader) Rahul Gandhi, there are some concerns in Wayanad. His decision to run from the south has angered the Left, which has questioned why he isn’t running from Uttar Pradesh. But when the same Left members go to Delhi, they are shown giving him hugs. It’s come to this: thugging in Karnataka, begging in Kerala, and hugging in Delhi,” she remarked, emphasizing that these actions shouldn’t be supported and advising people to vote for the BJP.

The minister had scheduled other meetings with students, media representatives, and citizen activist organizations in the city, but only the meeting with the businesspeople really took place. Her team members said that the events were canceled because, in some cases, Returning Officers (ROs) failed to provide authorization, and in other cases, the team withdrew permissions for certain contacts.

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Speaking to ladies at the late-night event, she advised them to put more of their attention on important political matters and to stop watching everyday soap operas. “I encourage women to concentrate on important problems if they want to be considered seriously in politics. Reality is far apart from daily soap operas. The only women who will be able to advance socially and politically are those who take politics seriously. She went on to say that voting and choosing a candidate is serious business and not “a play of TV serials.”

The minister also criticized the opposition for their manifesto, which was made public on Friday, claiming that if they win, they want to reinstate Article 370. Smriti also claimed that Rahul Gandhi is taking donations from the People’s Front of India (PFI) even though the government has outlawed the group under the UAPA Act. “To win elections, Congress must now rely on support from terrorist organizations,” the speaker said.