Sir — Union Minister for Human Resource Development Smriti Irani deserves praise for being modest by ensuring that Delhi University officials alleged to have leaked documents relating to her admission/study at the University are not sacked.
Questions have been raised over a ‘defeated’ leader being made a Union Minister — that too with a portfolio related to education, despite her not being a graduate. Technically speaking, both aspects have some weight.
But practically speaking, Ms Irani’s marginal defeat by the rival party’s chief contestant is by all accounts a victory. Every analyst had considered Ms Irani’s challenge to Mr Rahul Gandhi as symbolic. Also, her debating skills never gave an impression that she was less educated than the others.
However, it would have been better if she had been given some other important responsibility in keeping with a definite yardstick with regard to not appointing defeated candidates as Ministers — like it has been done to have an upper age-limit of 75 years for being a Minister.