Jaishankar joins BJP

NEW DELHI: External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar formally joined the BJP on Monday, nearly a month after being inducted into the Cabinet in a surprise move by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The 64-year-old former Foreign Secretary was welcomed into the party by BJP working president J.P. Nadda at the party office here.

Party’ s National General Secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya, Minister of State for External Affairs V Muraleedharan and BJP MP Bhupender Yadav were also present.

Jaishankar, who played a key role in shaping the foreign policy of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s first term, was inducted into the Cabinet and given the important portfolio of External Affairs on May 30, when the new Council of Ministers was sworn in.

As of now, he is not a member of either House of Parliament.

The 1977-batch officer has served in various capacities in the Ministry of External Affairs and as Indian envoy in important countries such as the US and China at crucial times.

He was the Foreign Secretary from January 2015 to January 2018 and played a key role in shaping Modi’s foreign policy during his first term, which saw a significant growth and expansion of India’s ties with key countries, particularly the US and Arab nations.

Prior to that, during this tenure as India’s Ambassador to the US from September 2013 till taking over as the Foreign Secretary, he played a major role in bringing the US Administration and the Modi government closer.

He also planned and executed a highly successful maiden visit of Prime Minister Modi to the US in September 2014 and his landmark address to the Indian diaspora at the Madison Square in New York.

A major highlight of his diplomatic career was his tenure as Joint Secretary in-charge of Americas Division from 2004 to2007, during he was involved in negotiating the historic civil nuclear agreement which was finalized in 2006. (IANS)