Why Sushma Swaraj responds to almost all tweets

NEW DELHI: By now, it's a well known fact that external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj monitors her Twitter account personally and replies to tweets personally, too - to almost all of them. Last night, she explained why.

The minister said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi's "paradigm shift" in foreign policy is in fact the reason for her Twitter behavior.

Now, when India speaks, the "world listens", Swaraj said at an event in Delhi to release a book on the PM's foreign policy published by the Dr Syama Prasad Mookerjee Research Foundation.

What's more, Swaraj said, is the fact that today," Indians in distress abroad feel the government back home cares for them. This has raised their courage." She described this as another paradigm shift.

Swaraj said that keeping track of and reaching out to Indians in distress abroad was earlier "never a priority" for the External Affairs Ministry.

"The PM has himself said that 'this ministry was about having fancy dinners wearing suit and boot'. But today our embassies remain on toes," Ms Swaraj said.

Maybe, people will now understand why "Sushma Swaraj responds 24X7 to Indians in distress abroad", the minister said, in reference to why she's so active on Twitter and other social media.

'Oh! I love your jacket'
Perhaps the minister's so active on Twitter because she likes to keep in touch with people too?

For instance, someone yesterday tweeted a picture of their daughter dressed up as Swaraj for a fancy dress competition.

@SushmaSwaraj my daughter # Fancy dress competition # national leader # SUSHMA SWARAJ...... pic.twitter.com/g8Xjxx4R19

— Rajesh Sharma (@Raj19Sharma) August 12,

2016

And of course, Swaraj replied.

Oh ! I love your jacket. https://t.co/xionOXbg0O

— Sushma Swaraj (@SushmaSwaraj) August 12, 2016