NewDelhi: Minister of External Affairs Sushma Swaraj on Monday hailed her ministry and various Indian embassies for the work done by them to assist Indians across the world. Appreciating the work, the minister said: “If a ‘Pravasi Bharatiya’ gets stuck anywhere in the world, they are confident that the government will save them. Relief is just one tweet away,” she said.
She also proudly claimed that, like never before, all embassies are handling issues related to citizens on a priority basis. “What was never a priority in embassies, has become the top priority now. The Prime Minister has made overseas Indians proud and the MEA has made them confident,” Sushma Swaraj said during her address in Vietnam.
The minister, as well as the ministry, have on multiple occasions in the past helped rescue Indians stranded in several places around the world. Swaraj regularly monitors and replies to the requests and suggestions on her Twitter feed. She is well-known for using social media to interact with citizens and help them in times of any crisis.
Just a few days back, she had helped a man who had lost his passport in the US just a fortnight before his wedding. He reached out to the Minister on Twitter and she replied soon after lending a hand of help.
Apart from helping people out, she is often praised for her cheeky replies on the micro-blogging site. For example, when she was asked if people should visit Bali where The Mount Agung volcano erupted, the External Affairs Minister cheekily said: “I will have to consult the volcano there.”
However, the minister’s timely help on Twitter was recently criticised by Congress chief Rahul Gandhi who said that she had no job except spending time working on people’s visas.
Referring to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s interventions in foreign affairs, he said: “Everybody says that it is a great thing that India’s Foreign Minister spends a lot of her time working on visas. Do you realise what that statement means? It means the Foreign Minister has nothing better to do than get people visas. So, only there is the monopoly of the Foreign Ministry, and the PMO (Prime Minister’s Office) has monopoly over the Foreign Ministry.”
Bureau Report
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