As she made her first public appearance after a long absence due to health issues, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on Wednesday got an unusually warm welcome from members cutting across party lines. And she showed she has neither lost her charm nor powerful oratorical skills as she took on the Opposition which charged the Government of inaction in the matter of hate crimes in United States of America against Indians.
In lok Sabha, she asserted that the safety of the Indian diaspora was a top priority and that her Government always does more than what is expected of it. She outlined in detail how the Government went about the issue.
But before that, the Parli- ament entrance buzzed with excitement as photographers and TV cameramen waited for her and jostled to capture her as she arrived wearing a green saree and with her trademark matching jacket.
Swaraj was out of action for a long time due to a kidney ailment for which she underwent a transplant in December.
Inside the House, she was welcomed by the Speaker Sumitra Mahajan and leader of Congress Mallikarjun Kharge amid clapping and thumping of desks by her lok Sabha colleagues.
Swaraj responded with equal warmth. “Thank you Madam (Speaker), Kharge-ji. I want to thank the entire House for their good wishes. It is because of your blessings and my faith in Krishna that I have completely recovered and retu-
rned to be here,” said Swaraj while adding she was deeply touched by their concerns.
Thereafter she responded to the allegations on the Government over safety of Indians in US. And as she countered Opposition criticism on Government’s silence over attacks on Indians, it was evident that the Minister may have been out of sight but not out of form.
Swaraj was actively giving instruction and handling distress request by Indians on foreign soil even during her period of illness. She said even when she was convalescing, she had spoken to the family members of the victims and officers of Indian Consulate General had reached out to them.
“To say that we did not take any step or maintained silence is absolutely wrong. This Government can never keep silent over such incide-
nts. This is not in our work culture. We always do more that what is expected of us,” she said, responding to Kharge’s critcism. She added India has conveyed its “deep concern” to the US administration over attacks on Indians and maintained that their safety was the top priority of the Modi-government as she listed steps taken by the government to reach out to the Indian diaspora in US and communication with the Donald Trump administration.
At the end Swaraj spoke in Punjabi to convey how she spoke to the father of another Indian-American who was the target of an attempted robbery. Speaker summed up the mood in the House when she said: “It was good to hear your powerful voice once again resonate here.” Sushma outlines steps taken on US hate crimes
PNS n New Delhi
As she made her first public appearance after a long absence due to health issues, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on Wednesday got an unusually warm welcome from members cutting across party lines. And she showed she has neither lost her charm nor powerful oratorical skills as she took on the Opposition which charged the Government of inaction in the matter of hate crimes in United States of America against Indians.
In lok Sabha, she asserted that the safety of the Indian diaspora was a top priority and that her Government always does more than what is expected of it. She outlined in detail how the Government went about the issue.
But before that, the Parli-
ament entrance buzzed with excitement as photographers and TV cameramen waited for her and jostled to capture her as she arrived wearing a green saree and with her trademark matching jacket.
Swaraj was out of action for a long time due to a kidney ailment for which she underwent a transplant in December.
Inside the House, she was welcomed by the Speaker Sumitra Mahajan and leader of Congress Mallikarjun Kharge amid clapping and thumping of desks by her lok Sabha colleagues.
Swaraj responded with equal warmth. “Thank you Madam (Speaker), Kharge-ji. I want to thank the entire House for their good wishes. It is because of your blessings and my faith in Krishna that I have completely recovered and retu-
rned to be here,” said Swaraj while adding she was deeply touched by their concerns.
Thereafter she responded to the allegations on the Government over safety of Indians in US. And as she countered Opposition criticism on Government’s silence over attacks on Indians, it was evident that the Minister may have been out of sight but not out of form.
Swaraj was actively giving instruction and handling distress request by Indians on foreign soil even during her period of illness. She said even when she was convalescing, she had spoken to the family members of the victims and officers of Indian Consulate General had reached out to them.
“To say that we did not take any step or maintained silence is absolutely wrong. This Government can never keep silent over such incide-
nts. This is not in our work culture. We always do more that what is expected of us,” she said, responding to Kharge’s critcism. She added India has conveyed its “deep concern” to the US administration over attacks on Indians and maintained that their safety was the top priority of the Modi-government as she listed steps taken by the government to reach out to the Indian diaspora in US and communication with the Donald Trump administration.
At the end Swaraj spoke in Punjabi to convey how she spoke to the father of another Indian-American who was the target of an attempted robbery. Speaker summed up the mood in the House when she said: “It was good to hear your powerful voice once again resonate here.”