Gone too soon: ‘People’s minister’ Sushma Swaraj passes away
Sushma Swaraj was the go-to-minister in times of distress for Indians all over the world. She wielded the power of technology and social media, and combined it with her emotional quotient to endear herself to millions of followers.
Tanvi Dubey
Wednesday August 07, 2019 , 4 min Read
“Even if you are stuck on Mars, the Indian Embassy will help you.” This tweet by Sushma Swaraj in 2017 aptly sums up the life and times of India’s most loved External Affairs Minister who passed away late on Monday, following a heart attack.
While there is no doubt that Swaraj was the go-to-minister in times of distress for Indians all over the world, what endeared her to millions of her followers, especially on social media, was the way she conducted her business.
Mother India to the rescue
If ever there was a hands-on minister in the Modi 1.0 government, it was Swaraj. Her Twitter account, which had more than 13 million followers, was usually filled with distress messages, and people asking for help. Whether they were stranded in a remote country, had lost their passports, or needed the mortal remains of their loved ones repatriated, it was to Swaraj whom they turned for help.
On Twitter, she displayed her terrific sense of humour that showed that she could face any situation with ease, and a little wit.
She used the power of technology and social media and combined it with her emotional quotient to stand up to the last Indian in distress abroad. She was open and accessible to all via Twitter and always quick to respond. Whether it was rescuing 168 Indians trapped in Iraq, helping an Indian citizen who lost money and his passport in Berlin, or rescuing a girl from trafficking in UAE, Swaraj’s time as External Affairs Minister is filled with such examples. So much so that a number of people on Twitter referred to her as Mother India, who always cared for her children.
Standing tall among peers
She was truly a ‘people’s minister’, if there ever was one!
But it’s not just the Indian diaspora who is mourning her loss. Like former Delhi chief minister Sheila Dixit, who passed away recently, Swaraj’s popularity cut across party lines and she was loved by all. Most of the people who worked with her, including other cabinet ministers, looked up to her.
She was a leader who showed India and the world what it takes to lead by example.
Dressed immaculately in a saree with a half-jacket thrown in for just that touch of formality, and sporting a big bindi, Swaraj certainly stood out among world leaders with her sharp thinking, excellent administration, oratory skills and her attention to detail. In most of her photographs with world leaders, she would be the only woman – standing tall, proving that she was no less than them in any way.
India’s most loved politician
Sushma Swaraj had a meteoric rise to becoming one India’s and the world’s most loved politicians. Born on February 14, 1952, in Ambala, Haryana, she studied Law at Panjab University, Chandigarh. She started practising at the Supreme Court from 1973. Her political career began with the Akhil Bhartiya Vidyarthi Parishad in the early 1970s and she was sworn in as Cabinet Minister in the Janata Party Government in 1977. She was also Chief Minister of Delhi in 1988. She held important positions in the Cabinet as Minister of I&B, Health, till she became External Affairs Minister in 2014, a position she held for five years. Who will forget her fiery speeches, especially the one in Kannada, when she stood against Sonia Gandhi in Bellary, Karnataka, in 1999?
In 2016, Swaraj underwent a kidney transplant and declined to contest the 2019 elections owing to her health.
Just a few hours before her death on Monday, Swaraj had tweeted that she was happy about the integration of Jammu & Kashmir.
Sushma Swaraj, gone too soon. But your work will live on.
(Edited by Teja Lele Desai)
