Narendra Modi likely to appoint Sushma Swaraj replacement during Winter Session

In the coming weeks, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will appoint a full-time foreign minister to replace an ailing Sushma Swaraj, who was admitted to hospital last month after kidney failure.

Modi is looking for a likely successor to Swaraj from among the limited talent on BJP bench. It is expected that the appointment and a few changes in portfolios might take place after the Winter Session of Parliament ends. Sources told Firstpost that Swaraj, awaiting kidney transplant, is expected to remain out of active duty for many months. At a time when the world is witnessing significant political upheaval, the need to engage with Donald Trump’s administration, deepening tension with Pakistan, and several other issues need the attention of Swaraj.

Her medical condition makes it impossible for her to return to a normal schedule and she will stay in Aiims, Delhi until she is fit to get a kidney transplant and recovers from the post-operative surgery. As 2017 dawns, India will get ready to receive important international leaders ranging from the Saudi Arabia’s King Salman to Dubai’s Crown Prince, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed at the Republic Day parade. The prime minister is expected to make his much-awaited trip to Israel, the first by an Indian prime minister at a time when 25 years of diplomatic relations will be celebrated.

Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar — a personal choice of Modi’s — is due to complete his term in January. There is some speculation about his future and it is likely that he might get an extension.

At the Heart of Asia conference that finished in Amritsar on Sunday, the absence of Swaraj was more than felt. Unlike her predecessors in this job, she connected with ordinary Indians as foreign minister and forced officials in the ministry and Indian embassies abroad to become more sensitive to their needs or concerns. She used her Twitter handle to reach out to people in need and showed how a social media tool could be a weapon to help people in distress. From honeymooners to Indian labourers, from stranded people in war-torn Yemen and Libya, to people in need of medical assistance, Swaraj transformed the perceived role of a foreign minister.

Swaraj had, like most others in BJP, not readily backed Modi’s candidature for prime ministership in the run-up to Lok Sabha elections. She later fell in line and was picked up by Modi to be his foreign minister. Credit goes to her for managing the portfolio extremely well and for having used her personal charm to make friends. But, it was her connect with Indians in need of help and in distress that won her tremendous domestic support and appreciation from Modi.