New Delhi: Bansuri Swaraj, daughter of former external affairs minister and late Bharatiya Janata Party leader Sushma Swaraj, was appointed co-convenor of the BJP’s Delhi State Legal Cell Friday. An Oxford graduate, Bansuri has been a part of the legal profession for 15 years. Although she has been known to help the party informally in the past, it’s the first time she has been given an organisational post, in what is being seen as a sign of the BJP’s intent to involve her more in Delhi politics.
Bansuri shared the letter announcing her appointment on her Twitter account, thanking Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, BJP General Secretary B. L. Santhosh and the party’s Delhi state president Virendra Sachdeva.
I am grateful to the Hon'ble PM @narendramodi ji, @AmitShah ji, @JPNadda ji, @blsanthosh ji, @Virend_Sachdeva ji, @BJP4Delhi and @BJP4India for giving me this opportunity to serve the party as the state co-convenor of the Bharatiya Janata Party Delhi State Legal Cell. pic.twitter.com/ItS4to99hn
— Bansuri Swaraj (@BansuriSwaraj) March 26, 2023
The appointment letter, which was sent to Bansuri on 24 March, said that she was being appointed with immediate effect. This is the first appointment Sachdeva has made after he was made the Delhi BJP state chief.
While those in BJP’s Delhi unit have hailed Bansuri’s appointment, party sources also told ThePrint that it was being anticipated as she was being seen in party events more frequently and the party was involving her in different activities. BJP’s women’s wing also started the Sushma Swaraj Awards this year for distinguished women achievers.
Swaraj, who passed away in 2019, had been a prominent BJP leader. She reportedly became Haryana’s youngest cabinet minister in 1977, before going on to be elected a parliamentarian for seven terms. She had a short stint as Delhi CM before she went to hold several important portfolios in former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s government. She also served as leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha between 2009 and 2014, before becoming Union minister for external affairs in the Narendra Modi-led government between 2014 and 2019.
Bansuri’s father, Swaraj Kaushal, is a senior Supreme Court advocate and a former Governor of Mizoram. He is known for his expertise in northeastern affairs and reportedly played a key role in the Naga peace process.
Who is Bansuri Swaraj
Bansuri, 39, is a Supreme Court advocate and the only child of Sushma Swaraj and Swaraj Kaushal.
Though a vocal supporter of the BJP, she was not allotted any position within the party till now. She has, however, in interviews admitted to helping the party in legal matters informally in the past.
In 2021, when Tamil Nadu minister Udhaynidhi Stalin had reportedly alleged Sushma Swaraj and Arun Jaitley had been sidelined in the BJP, Bansuri had hit back and asked Stalin to “not use her mother’s memory for his poll propaganda”.
“PM Narendra Modi ji bestowed utmost respect and honour on my mother. In our darkest hour, PM and Party stood by us rock solid,” she had reportedly tweeted.
Bansuri graduated in English literature from the University of Warwick, before going to study Law at the BPP Law School in London. She completed her Masters of Studies from St. Catherine’s College at the University of Oxford and was enrolled with the Bar Council of Delhi in 2007. She was also appointed additional advocate general in Haryana by Manohar Lal Khattar in March 2021.
According to reports, her name Bansuri, was inspired by Hindu deity Krishna’s musical instrument flute. Swaraj was a devotee of Krishna, and her chamber in the Parliament complex had a big portrait of him playing the flute.
When Swaraj passed away in 2019, Bansuri cremated her mother. She also presented senior advocate Harish Salve with a one rupee coin, reportedly to fulfill her mother’s wish of doing so as a token of her gratitude for appearing in the Kulbhushan Jadhav case — the former Indian navy officer who had been sentenced to death by Pakistan.
Even though occasionally seen in charitable events, Swaraj has more or less maintained a low profile. She had, however, drawn attention as part of former IPL commissioner Lalit Modi’s legal team in 2015. Modi was suspended from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) in 2010, for alleged money laundering and other charges.
‘Dedicated, good orator’
Delhi BJP’s spokesperson and Mahila Morcha leader Neetu Dabas, who had met Bansuri at the women’s wing’s national executive meeting in January, welcomed the appointment, describing her as a powerful speaker and a humble person.
“She is a part of the W20 team under G20 and was present at BJP Mahila Morcha’s national executive in Bengaluru. Her speech there was widely appreciated by karyakartas and she truly represents her mother’s qualities. The oratory skills are similar to Sushma ji’s. She is very polite and seems like a person who will not hesitate to go on ground as part of active politics”, Dabas said. The W20 India is the official engagement group focussed on gender equality. India currently holds the presidency of the G20 group of countries.
BJP Delhi legal cell’s co-convenor Sanket Gupta also said Bansuri’s appointment would greatly help the legal cell.
“We keep raising various important legal issues for the party, and her expertise and skills will aid us greatly. We have seen her work and she is a dedicated member of the party, Gupta told ThePrint.
Delhi BJP’s legal cell, which has over 900 advocates, is currently headed by Supreme Court advocate K. K. Tyagi. The legal cell aids the party in election management, filing nominations and other legal issues related to the party.
(Edited by Poulomi Banerjee)
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