Minister of External Affairs Sushma Swaraj, the most followed woman leader in the world (according to her Twitter profile which notes over 5 million followers) has been praised by a US daily, The Washington Post, as the 'Supermom of the State'. The daily applauded Swaraj for her presence on social media, in particular Twitter, and the appreciation she receives for it.
Swaraj is highly proactive on Twitter. In fact, her Twitter achievement stories are never ending.
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Swaraj who is now 64 has been India's external affairs minister since 2014. Her timely interventions and speedy advocacy in domestic or international matters has made her the go-to person for Indian citizens looking for help while abroad. She responds almost instantly to urgent tweets from Indians abroad, sometimes organising a rescue mission if necessary, often facilitating passport and visa problems.
Most recently, Swaraj helped rescue Judith D'Souza, a young aid worker in Afghanistan, who was kidnapped in this June in Kabul.
https://twitter.com/SushmaSwaraj/status/756657643419160577
Swaraj’s recent effort to supply food to labourers employed in Saudi Arabia where working conditions can often be inhumane, and her attempt to reunite a couple torn apart by a missing visa on their honeymoon are highly commendable.
Swaraj responding to an Indian man in Saudi Arabia who tweeted an image of unemployed workers who were homeless and starving:
https://twitter.com/SushmaSwaraj/status/762698227271421952
I appeal to 30 lakhs Indians in Saudi Arabia. Please help your fellow brothers and sisters. /1
— Sushma Swaraj (@SushmaSwaraj) July 30, 2016
Swaraj springing into action in other cases:
Bachhe - Give me the details. We will definitely help. https://t.co/1cUTe6QEyu
— Sushma Swaraj (@SushmaSwaraj) August 9, 2016
https://twitter.com/SushmaSwaraj/status/764874145926557696
I am happy Sarah has been rescued. Thank you Bahrain. pic.twitter.com/Euarj1vWWQ
— Sushma Swaraj (@SushmaSwaraj) August 4, 2016
This February, Swaraj helped bring back to New Delhi a woman and her daughter who were stranded in a refugee camp in Germany.
We have brought Gurpreet and her 8 year old daughter from the refugee camp to our Consulate in Frankfurt. Pic pic.twitter.com/D1c7B6FidN
— Sushma Swaraj (@SushmaSwaraj) February 3, 2016
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And last month, when an immigration official at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport hurled racist remarks at a Manipuri woman when she was about to fly to Seoul for a global women’s conference, her Facebook complaint was read by our external affairs minister who promised to speak to the appropriate authorities. Swaraj even apologised to the woman for the racial slur.
The tribute by 'The Washington Post' was not the first compliment for Swaraj from foreign media. Some time ago, Buzzfeed named her “the most badass foreign minister on the Internet.”
Supermom got it all!
Interested in politics in the age of social media? Read ‘The Big Connect‘ by Shaili Chopra
Feature image credit: ibandhu.com
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