Tag: Sushma Swaraj death

As External Affairs Minister, Sushma Swaraj Carved Her Place in a Circumscribed Role

With Narendra Modi striding on to the world stage as the face of India, Swaraj’s profile remained less visible as the helmsman of Indian foreign policy.

New Delhi: When Sushma Swaraj was announced as the external affairs minister for Narendra Modi’s cabinet in 2014, some eyebrows were raised.

In September 2013, when Modi was almost going to be formally anointed as the BJP’s prime ministerial candidate, Swaraj had been seen as staunchly enshrined in the opposing L.K. Advani camp. There were also reports about her unhappiness and that she wanted the announcement to be postponed.

But, while Advani skipped the crowning of Modi as the party’s face for 2014, Swaraj attended. Her inclusion in the cabinet as a senior member of the BJP was not surprising, but it meant that she had to handle her portfolio in a politically deft manner.

A low profile

With Modi striding on to the world stage as the face of India, Swaraj’s profile remained less visible as the helmsman of Indian foreign policy. She had been a fiery and vocal leader of opposition, but after she joined the cabinet, Swaraj’s pronouncements were largely only on Twitter.

In fact, throughout her term, she never gave a single media interview – neither foreign nor domestic – which was a remarkable fact for a foreign minister of any country. The key event to get answers from Swaraj was at the annual press conference held in June to mark the anniversary of the NDA government’s formation.

Also Read: Sushma Swaraj, a Woman of Many Firsts

The only time that she seemingly lost her even temper was at her last press conference. A Hindi newspaper reporter asked her to comment on the opposition’s claim that the external affairs ministry had shifted to the Prime Minister’s Office and she was only handling her Twitter account. “You have asked me questions as a Congress spokesperson,” she bristled.

Within the ministry of external affairs, Swaraj was highly popular due to her warm interpersonal skills, coupled with a sharp memory and brain.

A serving Indian foreign service officer recalled that one of her first meetings after taking over as minister was to sit through day-long presentations by Indian ambassadors of neghbouring countries.

“At the end of the day she summarised the points made by each ambassador while having their names on her fingertips. What was remarkable was that she did this without taking any notes during the meeting,” he told The Wire.

Sushma Swaraj in conversation with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Credit: PTI/Files

Required her to be innovative

Her circumscribed space, however, meant that Swaraj had to be innovative. Social media outreach to help Indians stuck abroad was her way to remain relevant and visible, but without treading on any sensitive toes. The kudos that she received were certainly well-deserved and allowed her to maintain an independent mass base.

It was also useful for the government to deploy Swaraj’s goodwill and ‘humane’ touch when requiring a sensitive handling of tricky humanitarian issues like dealing with families of hostages in Iraq.

In the age of ‘clickbait’, Swaraj was savvy enough to realise that a witty tweet could generate thousands of viral articles and Facebook ‘likes’. Her most famous – and often cited – riposte was to a social media complaint about a refrigerator. As a sign of ultimate approval of her online persona, Buzzfeed gave her its unique treatment – “11 Times Sushma Swaraj Proved That She’s The Most Badass Foreign Minister On The Internet”.

Her speeches at the annual United Nations general assembly were also a crowd-pleasers. “She would spend a lot of time discussing the speeches, but she wrote them herself,” said the official.

For Indian diplomats, Swaraj’s key quality was her ability to listen. “The officers’ meetings in New York (before UNGA) were great fun as she allowed all senior officers in the delegation to make suggestions for the speech. There used to be lively discussions and great camaraderie under her leadership”.

However, the key subject that future historians of this period of modern India would possibly study is the relationship between PM and his foreign minister.

The Lalit Modi controversy

Even as she was being crowned as the best performing minister in the Modi cabinet, 2015 also marked her lowest point. It had seemed from leaked documents that Swaraj had helped Lalit Modi, who had escaped to London, to get travel documents from the UK government after his Indian passport was confiscated. It had been the first whiff of scandal for the Modi government.

In parliament, opposition were calling for her resignation, while the media raised questions about her role. She even famously and uncharacteristically lashed at a TV journalist on Twitter.

While there were rumours that the media attack had tacit support from her political rivals, her indignant and emotional defence in parliament and strong backing from Modi meant that she survived the storm.

Lalit Modi. Photo: PTI

She certainly had a restricted space – but that she had no role in policy-making was not entirely true. Swaraj had warm relations with most of her global counterparts, and was frequently dialing their numbers. She had to, of course, stop travelling for eight months while recovering from a kidney transplant.

When Modi went unannounced to Lahore on December 25 in his boldest move till then, Swaraj apparently had a substantial role in paving the way for the attempted reconciliation by endearing herself to the ruling Sharif family. The sophisticated attack by Pakistan-based terror groups on the Indian Air Force base in Pathankot in January 2016 ensured that this attempt died at the first step.

Also Read: Sushma Swaraj Cremated With Full State Honours

Last year, the MEA had announced that Swaraj would be meeting with her Pakistani counterpart on the side-lines of the UNGA. But the decision was withdrawn less than 24 hours later. There were subsequently a couple of media reports that claimed that the MEA had taken the decision to meet Qureshi without the PMO’s consultation – a highly unlikely scenario when it comes to policy making on Pakistan.

She, however, never commented publicly about speculation over her equation with Modi and always unequivocally praised him at every occasion.

Though she announced that she would not be contesting the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, her removal as external affairs minister after Modi’s re-election was surprising, but even that did not loosen her lips. And her last tweet was again to compliment Modi and his key aide, home minister Amit Shah.

Sushma Swaraj Cremated With Full State Honours

The long-time BJP leader passed away on Tuesday night.

New Delhi: Former external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj, who died of a cardiac arrest late on Tuesday night, was cremated with full state honours at Lodhi Road crematorium in New Delhi today.

Hundreds of people, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP president Amit Shah and veteran party leader L.K. Advani, gathered at the Lodhi Road crematorium to pay their final respects to Swaraj.

The body of the long-time BJP leader, who passed away at AIIMS, Delhi, at the age of 67, was brought to the crematorium from the party office.

Many jostled for a last glimpse as the casket with her mortal remains, wrapped in the tricolour, was put in the hearse in preparation for her final journey.

Others tried to capture images on their mobile phones in the main hall of the BJP headquarters and outside as the van rolled across the street.

Political leaders pay their respect

Neeti Jain, a BJP party worker, said Swaraj was an inspiration to all women who entered politics.

“I got to meet her during the 2019 Lok Sabha polls while we were taking recorded interviews for All India Radio, DD News. I clicked a picture with her and wrote, ‘It was a fangirl moment for me’. My 90-year-old grandfather saw the picture and he told me, ‘I am proud of you today’. Such was her charisma that people from three generations looked up to her,” Jain said.

Meena Bhati, a party worker from Uttar Pradesh, echoed Jain.

“I had to come to seek her blessings for one last time. We have all heard her speak and there are no words to describe this loss,” Bhati said.

Rajya Sabha MP Amar Singh said, “She was like a sister to me and an extremely polite woman. Her death is shocking to us. I still can’t believe she’s gone.”

Also read: Former External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj Passes Away

Former Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan on Wednesday remembered late Swaraj as the MP who with her oratory skills and photographic memory used to make opposition members nervous in parliament.

“When Swaraj, as an MP, used to attack the opposition, it was felt that their leaders have become speechless. Her memory was awesome. I was highly impressed and astonished by the way she would shed light on the incidents with dates and details,” recalled Mahajan, who had served as the Speaker of the 16th Lok Sabha during 2014-2019.

Swaraj, who represented Vidisha Lok Sabha constituency in Madhya Pradesh in 2009 and 2014, had served as the leader of opposition in the 15th Lok Sabha till May 2014 when the BJP won the general elections.

Hailing Swaraj’s contribution as external affairs minister, Mahajan said, “Swaraj was India’s voice at international platforms, who would aggressively put India’s side before the international community”.

She termed as a “bolt from the blue” Swaraj’s death at a time when the country is “rejoicing” the Modi government’s decision to withdraw the special status of Jammu and Kashmir.

“In the death of Swaraj, India has lost a dedicated leader. Despite serious illness, she remained active for the country and society,” she said referring to Swaraj’s kidney transplant in 2016.

Mahajan reminisced that Swaraj was her “good friend” though she was much younger to the former speaker.

“I have learnt many things in politics from Swaraj who was younger to me in age but had a bigger stature in work,” she added.

Uttar Pradesh chief minister Adityanath pays floral tribute to Sushma Swaraj at the BJP headquarters on Wednesday. Photo: PTI

Chhattisgarh governor Anusuiya Uikey and chief minister Bhupesh Baghel on Wednesday condoled the death of senior BJP leader and former external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj, dubbing it as an “irreparable loss” for Indian politics. Uikey, in her condolence message, called Swaraj “a great political leader and extraordinary orator with able leadership qualities”.

“She was like a guru (mentor) to me. When I first became the Rajya Sabha MP, Swaraj, like an elder sister, encouraged me and boosted my confidence”, the governor said.

“Along with the country, it is an irreparable loss for me. I extend my condolences to her family in this hour of grief. May her soul rest in peace,” she added.

Baghel also said Swaraj’s sudden demise was an irreparable loss to the Indian politics.

“During her long political career, she left a mark while successfully working on various positions and gained all-round appreciation. May God give enough strength to the bereaved family to bear the irreparable loss,” he said.

The former chief minister and BJP’s national vice president Raman Singh, in his condolence message, referred to Swaraj’s last tweet lauding the government’s move on Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir.

“Seeing the last words of Sushmaji bring tears to eyes,” Singh said on Twitter.

“Her demise is an irreparable loss to Indian politics but her ideas and ideals will remain immortal on this land for ages,” he added.

B.S. Yediyurappa, the chief minister of Karnataka, paid his last respects to the departed leader and remembered her association with the southern state.

He said Swaraj had a close connection with Karnataka since 1999, when she contested the Lok Sabha polls against UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi from Ballari.

“She made it a point to visit Ballari every year for the Varamahalakshmi pooja for a decade. She is fondly remembered by the people for such gestures,” Yediyurappa said.

“May her soul rest in peace and may God give the strength to his family and loved ones to endure this loss,” he said in his condolence message.

Yediyurappa also remembered Swaraj as an excellent orator and an exceptional leader who rose to great heights in her political career as a committed soldier of the country.

“Sushma Swaraj served as the minister of external affairs and was the second woman to hold the office after Indira Gandhi. Her proactive outreach to people in distress and accessibility to citizens earned her love and respect from the masses,” he said.

The former Delhi chief minister was hailed as India’s “best-loved politician by the global media”, he added.

Also read: Sushma Swaraj, a Woman of Many Firsts

Tamil Nadu chief minister K. Palaniswami expressed grief over Swaraj’s demise and hailed her contributions to the country.

He described Swaraj as “one of the highly-respected women leaders” in the world of politics and said her demise was a “great loss” to the country.

“I was shocked and grieved on hearing about the demise of Sushma Swaraj, who had held various portfolios including that of external affairs,” Palaniswami said in a statement issued in Chennai.

“She was cordial to leaders of all political hues and her demise is a great loss not just to her family, but the country,” the chief minister said.

Puducherry lieutenant governor Kiran Bedi also condoled Swaraj’s demise.

In her condolence message, Bedi said, “The passing away of Sushma Swaraj is a personal and national loss. She brought warmth and care in her work.”

International community

Foreign leaders conveyed their condolences as well.

(With PTI inputs)