Sushma Swaraj: The people’s politician with a helping hand | Latest News India - Hindustan Times
close_game
close_game

Sushma Swaraj: The people’s politician with a helping hand

Hindustan Times, New Delhi | By
Jun 11, 2020 07:10 AM IST

Swaraj, 67, was the daughter of a prominent Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh leader and had several achievements in her four-decade-long political career, including becoming Haryana’s youngest cabinet minister at 25 in 1977 and Delhi’s first woman chief minister in 1998.

Former external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj, who gained widespread praise for using social media to help Indians around the world in distress , was once seen as a rising star of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) who went on to fulfil that promise by achieving the highest legislative and executive successes.

Sushma Swaraj didn’t contest the elections Lok Sabha elections this time due to her poor health, she hadn’t said she intended to retire from politics.(Mohd Zakir/HT PHOTO)
Sushma Swaraj didn’t contest the elections Lok Sabha elections this time due to her poor health, she hadn’t said she intended to retire from politics.(Mohd Zakir/HT PHOTO)

Swaraj, 67, was the daughter of a prominent Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh leader and had several achievements in her four-decade-long political career, including becoming Haryana’s youngest cabinet minister at 25 in 1977 and Delhi’s first woman chief minister in 1998.

Hindustan Times - your fastest source for breaking news! Read now.

Her exclusion from the Union Cabinet following the BJP’s sweeping victory this year surprised many in diplomatic and political circles. Though she didn’t contest the elections due to her poor health, she hadn’t said she intended to retire from politics.

She rose in politics at a young age, but her detractors in the BJP called her an “outsider” to the Sangh, the party’s ideological fountainhead. They labelled her a socialist nominee to the Janata Party government in Haryana under Devi Lal. Swaraj, however, would say it was her husband Swaraj Kaushal who should be called a socialist and that her father had been a ‘swayamsevak’.

Sushma Swaraj with Punjab CM Parkash Singh Badal and former Delhi CM Sahib Singh Verma and Union Parliamentary Affairs minister MAdan Lal Khurana at a press conference in 1998.(HT Photo)
Sushma Swaraj with Punjab CM Parkash Singh Badal and former Delhi CM Sahib Singh Verma and Union Parliamentary Affairs minister MAdan Lal Khurana at a press conference in 1998.(HT Photo)

After losing in the parliamentary polls of 1980, 1984 and 1989 in Haryana, she did a stint in the Rajya Sabha before breaking her Lok Sabha jinx with a victory from South Delhi in 1996. She was made a cabinet minister in the 13-day government led by Atal Bihari Vajpayee and became a cabinet minister again after a win in 1998. Swaraj was made Delhi’s CM after Sahib Singh Verma stepped down in 1998, but the rising price of onions during her short tenure of about three months drew much criticism.

In 1999, she contested against then Congress president Sonia Gandhi from Bellary in Karnataka. Though she had just 12 days to campaign, she lost to Gandhi by a margin of just 7%.

During the second Vajpayee government, she briefly held the information and broadcasting portfolio during 2000-03. She also served as the minister for health, family welfare and parliamentary affairs from 2003 to 2004, when the NDA lost the election.

She also made her mark as a powerful and articulate Hindi orator in Parliament who was just as well known for her quick wit.

Also Watch | Remembering Sushma Swaraj: Fiery Opposition leader, transformative foreign minister

 

As Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha from 2009 to 2014, she was seen as one of the possible claimants in the BJP for the prime ministerial position. It was at this time that then Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi went from strength to strength.

She was considered to be close to BJP stalwart and former home minister LK Advani. Swaraj went on to become external affairs minister, taking the oath of office after only Modi and then BJP president Rajnath Singh. As the external affairs minister, Swaraj functioned in an understated manner, with Modi steering the foreign policy with an aggression seldom seen before. She actively used social media to engage with Indians around the world and to outline the government’s position on key foreign policy issues. Swaraj also was known for responding to numerous requests for assistance from Indians in distress around the world.

In this file photo dated Oct 3, 2018: External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj greets Senior BJP leader Lal Krishna Advani, at Rashtrapati Bhawan in New Delhi. Swaraj who was on Tuesday night admitted to AIIMS, passed away. (PTI)
In this file photo dated Oct 3, 2018: External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj greets Senior BJP leader Lal Krishna Advani, at Rashtrapati Bhawan in New Delhi. Swaraj who was on Tuesday night admitted to AIIMS, passed away. (PTI)

However, Swaraj faced accusations in 2015 of having lobbied on behalf of former Indian Premier League chief Lalit Modi after she recommended to the UK government that Modi, then a fugitive, could be provided travel documents to visit his wife, who was being treated for cancer in Portugal. She defended her decision by saying it was made on humanitarian grounds and was defended by both the BJP and the RSS.

Born on February 14, 1952 at Ambala in Haryana, she earned a bachelor’s degree with majors in Sanskrit and political science from SD College before going on to study law at Panjab University in Chandigarh. During her political career, she was elected a Member of Parliament nine times and a member of the legislative assembly three times.

She was married to Swaraj Kaushal, a senior advocate of the Supreme Court who served as governor of Mizoram during 1990-93 and was an MP during 1998-2004.

Her stint as the external affairs minister was affected by poor health and she underwent a kidney transplant in 2016.

Unveiling Elections 2024: The Big Picture', a fresh segment in HT's talk show 'The Interview with Kumkum Chadha', where leaders across the political spectrum discuss the upcoming general elections. Watch now!

Get Current Updates on India News, Election 2024, Arvind Kejriwal Arrest Live Updates, Bihar Board 12th Result Live along with Latest News and Top Headlines from India and around the world.
SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
Share this article
SHARE
Story Saved
Live Score
OPEN APP
Saved Articles
Following
My Reads
Sign out
New Delhi 0C
Monday, March 25, 2024
Start 14 Days Free Trial Subscribe Now
Follow Us On