Sushma Swaraj’s Twitter hotline: Part 2

It has been over two weeks and External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj continues to face flak from the Congress party and the news media over the Lalit Modi case. Yet, the political assault has not deterred the union minister from helping normal Indian citizens who ‘tweet’ her their problems. Beyond the political skirmishes in newsrooms across the nation, Sushma Swaraj continues to elevate the stature of the MEA, through her ‘direct governance’ approach. Mumbai-based professional Neha Parikh spoke to me about how the External Affairs minister recently came to her family’s aid.

CNN-IBN: What predicament did your family face that prompted you to reach out to Sushma Swaraj?

Neha Parikh: My parents were returning to India from their first international trip to Europe on May 29. While travelling from Rome to India via Istanbul, my mother’s passport got lost in transit and my parents were stranded at Istanbul Airport for a day. My parents are senior citizens and I was extremely worried about their situation. My family members and I were trying to do whatever we could but nothing productive happened.  A friend suggested that I should tweet about the situation to Sushma Swaraj. At that time, I had no knowledge of how helpful it could be, but nonetheless I posted a tweet to Sushma Swaraj and appealed to her for help.

CNN-IBN: How prompt was the help from the MEA?

Neha Parikh: Within a few hours, I saw that Sushma Swaraj had favourited my tweet. Soon after, the Indian embassy in Turkey got in touch with my father over the phone and assured him of all assistance. By the evening of May 30, the Indian Embassy in Turkey issued emergency travel documents to my parents. They were able to board the flight and fly back to India that very night.

CNN-IBN: Would you say Sushma Swaraj has set a new standard of governance as External Affairs Minister?

Neha Parikh: Definitely. The use of digital media by the government to connect with the common man and resolve their problems in this manner is something unheard of in our country. It feels so great to reach out to the External Affairs ministry directly in times of distress without having any intermediary in between.

CNN-IBN: What message do you wish to convey to Sushma Swaraj?

Neha Parikh: I am very grateful to Sushma Swaraj and her ministry for such prompt response and all the help.