"I Don't Have FOMO, Congress Has ROMO": Smriti Irani At NDTV Yuva

BJP leader Smriti Irani took center stage at NDTV Yuva's Mumbai edition on Saturday, sharing her perspectives on politics, democracy, and her political journey before a predominantly young audience.

NDTV Yuva made its return with the Mumbai edition today.

In her address, Ms Irani explained her motivation for entering politics: "People like me have come to politics, but our desire is to work for the country," she stated to NDTV.

The BJP leader had a significant political victory in 2019 when she defeated Congress leader Rahul Gandhi by over 55,000 votes. However, in the 2024 general elections, she lost her seat to Congress candidate Kishori Lal Sharma, who secured a victory margin exceeding 1.6 lakh votes in his first electoral contest.

When questioned about missing Parliamentary life, Ms Irani cleverly remarked that she doesn't experience "FOMO" (Fear of missing out). Instead, she suggested it was the Congress party experiencing "ROMO, relief of missing out".

She further commented on democratic participation, saying, "I feel that if the Opposition thinks that youngsters don't believe in the democratic process, then they don't have faith in the youth. And this political connection shows that they have faith in the system."

Addressing the Opposition's frequent claims of "vote chori" (vote theft), Ms Irani said, "When I hear the word 'vote chori', I think it is an insult to the Indian democracy because it is an attack mounted by the Opposition when it has failed to win the trust of voters."

This year's NDTV Yuva event featured numerous prominent figures from politics, entertainment, and sports. Political participants included Lok Sabha MP Supriya Sule, Rajya Sabha MP Milind Deora, BRS leader KT Rama Rao, and BJP leader Poonam Mahajan.

The entertainment industry was represented by actors Manushi Chhillar, Diana Penty, and Vaani Kapoor, along with singers Armaan Malik and Jubin Nautiyal. Sports personalities including boxers Jaismine Lamboria, Nupur Sheoran, and Pooja Rani also participated, as did film director Mohit Suri and Rapido co-founder Pavan Guntupalli.