A large number of Sushma Swaraj’s admirers included Christians and some of them were from north eastern states as well. Swaraj, during her stint as Foreign Minister between May 26, 2014 and May 30, 2019, also played a pivotal role in helping Indians in distress beyond Indian shores.
She took interest in interacting with officials and representatives from other countries for getting release of several people, including two Catholic priests, abducted by terrorist groups.
Swaraj, BJP leaders say, took personal interest in the release of Salesian Father Tom Uzhunnalil, who was abducted by Islamic State militants on March 4, 2016 and another Christian leader who was taken to Afghanistan. Father Tom was taken to a home for the aged and disabled run by the Missionaries of Charity in Aden, Yemen.
BJP Christian leaders recall with pride that the Late Sushma took personal interest on the matter.
”I know how our late leader Sushma Swaraj took up the matter of Father Tom with Yemen’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Al-Mekhlafi when the latter visited India in 2016,” Nagaland BJP vice-president Dr Sukhato Sema said.
The terrorists had killed 12 people, including four nuns.
In a series of tweets on December 27, 2016, the BJP leader said she has seen the video sent by Father Tom Uzhunnalil and said her ministry will do everything possible in securing his release. “I have seen the video from Fr Tom. He is an Indian citizen and the life of every Indian is most precious for us,” Ms Swaraj had said in a tweet.
Father Tom was released in September 2016 and much of it became possible due to intervention of India’s foreign ministry which was then under stewardship of Swaraj.
Senior BJP leader Dr M M Joshi, who worked with Sushma in the cabinet under Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee between 1998 and 2004, said, ”Her biggest contribution as India’s foreign minister was to take the Ministry closer to people. Sushma Swaraj did not keep Ministry of External Affairs confined to foreign countries and policy alone, she brought the Ministry close to the common man”.
The Government of India and Sushma Swaraj had also taken initiative to get release of Jesuit Father Alexis Prem Kumar, who was in the custody of suspected Taliban militants in Afghanistan in 2014-2015.
Prem Kumar was abducted in Herat province in western Afghanistan by unidentified gunmen on June 2, 2014 and was released in February 2015. The matters related to his release was pursued by Indian government, including at the highest levels by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the then External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj.
