New Delhi, September 3
Till just about 24 hours back, the buzz in Delhi’s political circles was that Commerce Minister Nirmala Sitharaman may be eased out of the Narendra Modi Cabinet and sent back to the party organisation.India’s exports had fallen during her tenure, even though a key factor for that was a slowdown in world economy. Also, given her excellent track record as a defender and spokesperson of the BJP during Modi’s 2013-14 election campaign, it was being said that BJP chief Amit Shah wanted her back in the organisation for the 2019 General Election.

However, belying all speculations, this Sunday she emerged as the biggest newsmaker when she was declared India’s new Defence Minister. Indira Gandhi had held the portfolio but as Prime Minister, so that makes Sitharaman practically the first woman Defence Minister of the country.From being a BJP spokesperson to the Raisina Hill, the academician-turned-politician has come a long way. She is now the second woman in the Modi Cabinet to be seated on the Raisina Hill where key ministries are housed. She will also attend the all-important Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) along with Minister of External Affairs Sushma Swaraj.Apart from the optics of a woman Defence Minister who will be saluted by the three Service chiefs, Sitharaman with roots in both Tamil Nadu and Andhra region will be serving many messages.

She is someone who is considered among the performers. When she had joined the government in 2014 as a Minister of State, the only credentials she carried with her were a degree in economics from Jawaharlal Nehru University, a good track record as a BJP spokesperson and an impeccable knowledge of a range of subjects.An unassuming Sitharaman, who looks more like a serious, hardworking educationist than a politician, told The Tribune in 2014, when she first joined the government, how she prepares for Parliament. “I read a lot and interact with experts to take a brief, which is normally a short brief. Preparation is important. It requires a lot of reading. There are subjects I have no experience of, like the application of law. For instance, how is a Bill prepared? From whom should I take permission? How should I speak about it? I spend a lot of time learning all this,” she had said.

Born in 1959 in Madurai, Nirmala holds a Master’s degree in economics and had worked in London and was also briefly with the BBC World Service. She was a member of the National Commission for Women from 2003 to 2005 and joined the BJP in 2006.Rising through the ranks, she became a member of the party’s national executive in 2008 and was appointed spokesperson in 2010.An excellent command over issues and English were her biggest assets as also following the protocol, almost military-like. Watching her interact with her seniors, like mentor Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, is almost like a junior officer in the Army taking the brief from a commander. While at JNU, she met Parakala Prabhakar, a Telugu Brahmin from Narsapur in Andhra Pradesh. The couple have a daughter named Vangmayi.Her husband is the Communication Adviser to Andhra CM N Chandrababu Naidu.