No holds barred

Sushma Swaraj's connect with the media despite frequent disagreements over policies holds relevance in the current times

She was indeed a powerful orator and a people’s leader but what added to Sushma Swaraj’s charm and set her apart from most other ministers — past and present — was her connect with the media despite frequent disagreements over policies. It is this connect that holds relevance in the current times when media believes its access to the government has been curtailed.

Some of her trendsetting media outreach was seen during the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government, when she held portfolios ranging from telecom to health and parliamentary affairs to information & broadcasting (I&B). As I&B minister from September 2000