India’s foreign minister is cast as Supermom of State

The Washington Post ^ | AUGUST 14, 2016 | Rama Lakshmi

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NEW DELHI — So far this month, India’s foreign minister has saved thousands of stranded Indian workers in Saudi Arabia — and helped a woman replace her lost passport so she could go on her honeymoon.

Since she took on the job two years ago, Sushma Swaraj, 64, has carved out an unlikely role for herself as a crusading Supermom of State, solving the problems of distressed Indians around the world who send her their concerns via Twitter.

Working late into the night at home, Swaraj tweets back, calling them “my child” and assuring them that help is on the way — whether they are trapped in conflict zones, experiencing visa problems or need to replace lost passports.

Imagine U.S. Secretary of State John F. Kerry personally helping Americans who tweet to him about their troubles abroad every day. For this, BuzzFeed praised Swaraj as “the most badass foreign minister on the Internet.”

But those who know the longtime member of Parliament are not surprised by her new persona.

Her “personal interventions on social media are really an extension of her personality — empathetic and caring to those in distress, wherever they may be,” said Vikas Swarup, the Foreign Ministry spokesman.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, her boss, was an early adopter of Twitter among Indian politicians and is the third-most-followed world leader after President Obama and Pope Francis. Modi has no official spokesman and often uses Twitter to communicate important messages.