Everyone has a right to pray but not to desecrate: Smriti Irani clarifies her statement by sharing the entire video

By Vandana Srivastawa

on October 23, 2018

Union Minister of Textiles Smriti Irani’s comments on the Sabarimala verdict was taken out of context today. She said that everyone has a right to pray but not to desecrate. At a conference organized by the British High Commission and the Observer Research Foundation (ORF) in Mumbai, Irani said, “The difference between the right to pray and the right to desecrate must be recognized and respected.” However, her statements were twisted by many news channels and websites which led to Irani clarifying her stand and share the link of the entire video. Her comment was in response to reports of an activist who tried to take a used sanitary napkin inside a sacred shrine and not on menstruating women.

Replying to the question, she said, “I have no right as a current serving Cabinet Minister to comment on the Supreme Court verdict but it is plain common sense: would you take a sanitary napkin steeped in menstrual blood and walk into a friend’s home. You would not? And would you think it is respectful to do the same when you walk into a house of God? That is the difference. I have a right to pray and I don’t have a right to desecrate, and this must be recognized and respected. That is my personal opinion.”

[caption id="attachment_149528" align="aligncenter" width="647"] Smriti Irani[/caption]

She also shared her personal experience as an example. She clarified as a practicing and born Hindu married to a Zoroastrian she has faced restrictions on praying at a Fire temple. She said, “Since I have ensured both my children are practicing Zoroastrians and have completed their Navjote, they can pray in a fire temple. But I have to personally stand either on the road or sit in my car at the temple. When I took my newborn son to a temple, I had to give him up to my husband at the gate. I was shooed away and told not to stand there. But even then I understand, I have a right to pray but I don’t have a right to desecrate.”

[caption id="attachment_154996" align="aligncenter" width="800"] Sabarimala Temple[/caption]

News Agency ANI shared a minute-long video of her sanitary napkin comment that created a furore. However, Smriti soon released the 30 minutes long ORF video that had her entire comment.

https://twitter.com/ANI/status/1054661572830871552

Since many news channels and websites took her comments out of context, she took to Twitter to call out on the fake news and shared the video from the event. Check out her tweets below.

https://twitter.com/smritiirani/status/1054648963326980096

https://twitter.com/smritiirani/status/1054719148666904576

https://www.facebook.com/ORFMumbai/videos/289640451877547/

https://twitter.com/smritiirani/status/1054722334303633408

https://twitter.com/smritiirani/status/1054722444962000896

https://twitter.com/smritiirani/status/1054722693260554242

https://twitter.com/smritiirani/status/1054723018763784192

Many people came in support of Irani for her views and shared their own experiences at different religious places like the Sistine Chapel. Despite the debates around such complex issues, the Narendra Modi government has been the most progressive related to social issues such as the debate around Section 377 and privacy.