HRD Minister Smriti Irani speaking in Parliament on Monday
Union Minister Smriti Irani is trending again on social media, this time for a fiery speech she broke into in Parliament in response to allegations of what opposition members called "saffronising" or giving a Hindutva tinge to education.
Ms Irani, replying to a debate on the demand for grants for her human resource development ministry, offered a strong defence that included interjections in Bengali directed at members of the Congress and the Trinamool Congress.
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Aapni jokhon bolechhen, boshey shojjo korun. Aamar jobab aashte din. (If you have made allegations, then sit through my reply)," the 39-year-old minister said as Trinamool Congress MPs interrupted her.
"Since my primary school days, I have not been asked by anyone, when I have stood up respectfully, to sit down the way the HRD minister of this country did today," huffed the Trinamool's Sugata Bose, a grand nephew of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose.
The verbal clashes started when Mr Bose joined the Congress' Sushmita Dev in criticising what they called bias in appointments to the Indian Council of Historical Research.
When Smriti Irani responded, the Trinamool protested that she called Mr Bose 'that Professor' and pointed her finger at him.
"Please look at the minister's arrogance. I know that she is facing tremendous pressure within her party but it is not right to refer to a respected academic in this way," said Mr Bose's colleague Saugato Roy, making an oblique reference to recent reports that Ms Irani may be dropped from the government as her party, the BJP, is not happy with her.
"Eminence per se is not a certificate to mislead the House, not a certificate to pass snide remarks. Eminence gives you the responsibility to hear the other side of the story," responded Smriti Irani, oratorical skills in full display.
Professor Bose wasn't assuaged. He charged that Ms Irani had not built up a case for her ministry's grants, instead focused on blaming the previous UPA government instead.