Sushma Swaraj (14 February 1952 – 6 August 2019) was one of India's most prominent and beloved politicians, a senior leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), renowned orator, and a trailblazer for women in Indian politics.
Born as Sushma Sharma in Ambala Cantonment (now in Haryana), she came from a middle-class family with roots in the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). She earned a law degree from Panjab University, Chandigarh, and qualified to practice in the Supreme Court of India. Her early political activism began with the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) during her student days, where she opposed the Emergency imposed by Indira Gandhi.
Swaraj married Swaraj Kaushal in 1975 and adopted his first name as her surname. She entered electoral politics early, becoming Haryana's youngest cabinet minister at age 25 in 1977.
Key Political Milestones
Served as a Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) multiple times and Member of Parliament (MP) seven times.
Became the first woman Chief Minister of Delhi (briefly, October–December 1998).
Was Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha (2009–2014).
Appointed India's Minister of External Affairs (2014–2019) in Narendra Modi's first government — the second woman after Indira Gandhi to hold this post.
As External Affairs Minister, she was widely admired for her humane diplomacy and swift response to citizens in distress abroad. She became a pioneer of digital diplomacy on Twitter (now X), personally addressing thousands of pleas from Indians stranded or facing crises overseas, earning her the affectionate title of a "people's minister" and "Supermom of diplomacy."
She was posthumously awarded the Padma Vibhushan, India's second-highest civilian honor, in 2020.
Sushma Swaraj passed away on 6 August 2019 due to a cardiac arrest at age 67.
Digital Diplomacy
Sushma Swaraj pioneered digital diplomacy (often called "Twitter diplomacy" or "Twiplomacy") during her tenure as India's External Affairs Minister (2014–2019). She transformed her personal Twitter account (@SushmaSwaraj) into a 24/7 helpline, personally responding to thousands of distress calls from Indians abroad—and sometimes foreigners—often within minutes or hours. This approachable, humane style earned her global recognition, including a spot-on Foreign Policy magazine's 2016 list of leading global thinkers "for fashioning a novel brand of Twitter diplomacy." She helped with emergencies like lost passports, medical crises, trafficking, evacuations from conflict zones, and more, while directing Indian embassies publicly for swift action.
Here are some notable examples of her digital diplomacy in action:
Rescuing a woman from human traffickers in UAE (2015): A brother tweeted Swaraj about his sister being trapped by traffickers. She responded promptly, directing the Indian Embassy to intervene with local police. The sister was rescued and safely returned the next day.
Helping Indians stranded in Saudi Arabia during a food crisis (2016): When thousands of Indian workers faced job losses and food shortages, Swaraj tweeted updates to her millions of followers about embassy-provided rations, unpaid wage claims, and repatriation flights. This weeks-long social media campaign coordinated relief effectively.
Evacuation from Yemen civil war (2015): She oversaw and tweeted about the safe evacuation of over 4,700 Indians and nearly 2,000 foreigners of other nationalities from war-torn Yemen, responding directly to pleas and coordinating with missions.
Assisting a Yemeni woman (Sabah Shawesh) during the crisis: A Yemeni woman tweeted for help amid the conflict; Swaraj ensured her and her family's safe passage.
Facilitating travel for a bereaved family (e.g., to Germany after a brother's death): She arranged for a family member's travel to reach a hospitalized or deceased relative abroad, tweeting updates and condolences.
Rescuing elderly couple stuck in France: An elderly Indian couple tweeted for help to return home; Swaraj ensured they were sent back "at our expense."
Mountaineering rescue operations: She tweeted updates on rescue efforts for Indian climbers in distress on peaks like Mt. Makalu and Mt. Kanchenjunga, coordinating with teams for recovery of remains or ongoing searches.
Helping with visa/passport emergencies: Numerous cases involved lost passports, urgent extensions, or travel issues (e.g., directing embassies to assist Indians stuck due to visa problems in the US or elsewhere).
Her witty responses also went viral, like replying to a humorous tweet about being "stuck on Mars" with: "Even if you are stuck on Mars, the Indian Embassy there will help you"—a line that became iconic for her commitment. She politely declined non-diplomatic requests, such as fixing a faulty refrigerator, saying she was "very busy with human beings in distress."
Through these interventions, Swaraj humanized diplomacy, made it accessible, and inspired the MEA's Twitter SEVA platform in 2016 to centralize grievance redressal. Her legacy continues to be celebrated for compassionate, responsive leadership—even years after her passing.
Today, on her birth anniversary (February 14), leaders across India — including External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, Home Minister Amit Shah, and others — paid tributes, remembering her warmth, dedication, eloquent speeches, compassion, and lasting legacy of service.
Her approachable style, powerful oratory, and genuine concern for ordinary people made her one of India's most loved leaders even after her passing.