External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, during the weekend, took on aggressive online critics who accused her of being biased. Hitting back, Ms. Swaraj, who often uses the social media to rush help to Indians in different parts of the world, said she made no distinction among Indians on the basis of religion and caste.
“India is my country. Indians are my people. The caste, State, language or religion is not relevant to me,” said Ms. Swaraj on her official Twitter handle when Hindu Jagaran Sangha, a fringe outfit, tweeting from @HinduJagoran, accused her of neglecting the majority community.
The organisation, which often indulges in online trolling, posted a comment for Prime Minister Narendra Modi earlier, “your Sushma only takes care of Muslim visas, but Hindus are getting harassed to get Indian visa. Very upset.”
The comment from Ms. Swaraj is part of her ongoing efforts to reach out to the Indians abroad and at home about the crisis-solving abilities of the Ministry of External Affairs.
Ms. Swaraj’s strong retort created a chain of comments that continued during the week with many lauding her inclusive approach. Notable among those supporting her is singer Vishal Dadlani who praised her attitude.
Away from work
Ms. Swaraj has been away from work since November when she announced on social media about her kidney problems for which she underwent a surgery in December. She is yet to resume her work though she has been addressing consular problems involving Indian citizens all over the world through her popular Twitter handle.
Since taking charge of the Ministry of External Affairs in 2014, Ms. Swaraj has used social media to deal with issues like the return of Pakistani girl Geeta to India and several other major initiatives of the government involving foreign affairs and consular work.
