New Delhi: External affairs minister S. Jaishankar formally joined the BJP on Monday in the presence of party working president J.P. Nadda.
Jaishankar, a career diplomat and a former foreign secretary, was inducted by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his government as external affairs minister. He replaced Sushma Swaraj, who held the office for five years and decided not to contest this year.
Swaraj even wrote an emotional tweet after the swearing-in ceremony on Thursday thanking Prime Minister Modi for the opportunity to serve India’s countrymen and overseas Indians as the foreign minister.
प्रधान मंत्री जी – आपने 5 वर्षों तक मुझे विदेश मंत्री के तौर पर देशवासियों और प्रवासी भारतीयों की सेवा करने का मौका दिया और पूरे कार्यकाल में व्यक्तिगत तौर पर भी बहुत सम्मान दिया. मैं आपके प्रति बहुत आभारी हूँ. हमारी सरकार बहुत यशस्विता से चले, प्रभु से मेरी यही प्रार्थना है.
— Sushma Swaraj (@SushmaSwaraj) May 30, 2019
Jaishankar was sworn in as a Cabinet minister along with other members of the government on May 30. The BJP is likely to field him from Gujarat as its Rajya Sabha candidate.
He has to be a Member of Parliament within six months of his swearing in.
External Affairs Minister Shri @DrSJaishankar joined BJP in the presence of BJP National Working President Shri @JPNadda at BJP Parliamentary Office, New Delhi. pic.twitter.com/7BBgqnl51b
— BJP (@BJP4India) June 24, 2019
Currently, he stated that his ministry is prioritising “transparent & efficient passport delivery systems”, in hopes to manufacture e-passports “so that a new passport booklet with advanced security features can be rolled out in the near future,” the minister said