'Surprising And Shameful': Congress Calls Out Union Minister Smriti Irani Over Her Hunger Index Remark

Congress slammed Union minister Smriti Irani for her remarks on Global Hunger Index saying that it was ascertained by calling random people and asking if they are hungry.

Congress slammed Union minister Smriti Irani for her remark on Global Hunger Index

Source : X(@SupriyaShrinate)/ PTI

The Congress party on Saturday trained its guns on Union minister Smriti Irani who made a bizarre statement on the Global Hunger Index saying that the index is prepared by calling people and asking them if they are hungry. Congress called out Irani for her statement saying it was surprising and shameful to hear such comments. 

Speaking at a conference of the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry, the Union Minister for Women and Child Development Smriti Irani said, “There are indices which do not project the India story and deliberately so.”

“For instance, Global Hunger Index, which many people say is hogwash. They make the index, here in India, by calling 3,000 people out of 140 crore people and asking them if they are hungry. That index is saying Pakistan is doing better than India, can you imagine,” she added further. 

VIDEO | "There are indices which do not project the India story and deliberately so. For instance, Global Hunger Index, which many people say is hogwash. They make the index, here in India, by calling 3,000 people out of 140 crore people and asking them if they are hungry. That… pic.twitter.com/8g8v652Rv9

— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) October 19, 2023

Narrating her tight schedule for the day, Irani said if she would have got a call asking if she was hungry, she’d say, “oh yes, I am.”

Congress Hits Back 

Reacting to Irani’s statement, Congress leader Supriya Shrinate posted a video of herself on X and called her out for the statement saying it was “deeply concerning.” 

“I don’t know if this is your ignorance or insensitivity that you are speaking so lightly on such a sensitive topic like hunger, because being the women and child development minister this a deeply concerning statement,” Shriante said. 

“Global Hunger Index is heavily based on four indicators — undernourishment, child stunting, child wasting, and child mortality. So saying that the index has no basis is not just mockery but also very painful,” she said further. 

स्मृति ईरानी जी,

क्या आपको सचमुच लगता है कि वैश्विक भूख सूचकांक की गणना सिर्फ़ लोगों को फोन करके और उनसे यह पूछकर की जाती है कि क्या वे भूखे हैं!!???

आप भारत सरकार में महिला एवं बाल विकास मंत्री हैं - आपको सुनकर आश्चर्य होता है, सच कहूँ तो शर्म आती है।

किसी देश का वैश्विक भूख… pic.twitter.com/l9bbVoPBIl

— Supriya Shrinate (@SupriyaShrinate) October 20, 2023

The Congress leader highlighted that all these four indicators are a part of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals “which your government is committed to achieve.” 

“I don't know whether you dont know these things and if you know then why speaking lies without blinking an eye,” said Shrinate, adding: “you scrape the wound of those who try to survive by eating one square meal a day because of poverty and hunger.” 

'GHI Flawed Measure Of Hunger' 

This is not the first time that the Union minister has denounced the index. In 2022, during the Parliament’s winter session, Irani said the report is neither appropriate nor representative of hunger prevalent in a country.

"Global Hunger Index (GHI) does not reflect India's true picture as it is a flawed measure of 'Hunger'. It should not be taken at face value as it is neither appropriate nor representative of hunger prevalent in a country," Irani said in a written response to a question by Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) MP Manoj Kumar Jha.