New Delhi: Former Foreign Secretary Subrahmanyam Jaishankar on Thursday emerged as a surprise entrant into Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s 2.0 Union Cabinet. Jaishankar, who was recently conferred with Padma Shri award, was regarded as a close aide to Prime Minister Modi and was also hailed as his ‘crisis manager’ in matters of foreign affairs.
Jaishankar, whose term as Foreign Secretary was extended by Modi, also went on foreign trips with the Prime Minister prior to his retirement in 2018. After his retirement, Jaishankar was hired by Tata Group as the president of its global corporate affairs.
Jaishankar, son of late K Subrahmanyam, was appointed as Foreign Secretary in January 2015 after Prime Minister Modi led NDA government took a decision to dismiss then Foreign Secretary Sujatha Singh. He is also known as Indian government’s key strategist for China and the US. In 2008, he was a member of the team, which negotiated the landmark Indo-US nuclear deal under the UPA government headed by them, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
Jaishankar had earlier served as India’s Ambassador to China and then to the US. He has been India’s Ambassador to the Czech Republic and High Commissioner to Singapore as well. He was also the First Secretary and Political Advisor to the Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF) in Sri Lanka.
It is believed that Modi came in touch with Jaishankar when he traveled to China as the Chief Minister of Gujarat in 2012.
Jaishankar, a 1977-batch IFS officer, had played a critical role in handling tough negotiations with Beijing, following the incursion in Dokalam and Ladakh’s Depsang.
A graduate of St Stephen’s College, Jaishankar holds the degree of MA in Political Science and an M Phil and Ph D in International Relations from the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU). Jaishankar is married to Kyoko Jaishankar and has two sons and a daughter.
