LUCKNOW: “She might have been a towering political leader but for me an apostle of love and motherly affection. If I am alive today it is because of her,” says Vishwanath with a choked throat while paying tribute to the late BJP stalwart Sushma Swaraj on Wednesday.
Vishwanath of Kanpur was rescued by her from a Kuala Lumpur jail in 2016. Recalling his ordeal, Vishwanath narrates how a Delhi agent had lured him with a job offer in Malaysia and he got entangled in a legal battle which he lost and was jailed.
“I had seen an advertisement for a job in Malaysia and got in touch with the Delhi-based agent Faizan. Promising a handsome salary, he sent me to Malaysia. Initially, all went well for 6-7 months but suddenly the police of Kuala Lumpur arrested me for not having a working visa. They accused me of working there fraudulently. There was no one to help me,” shares Vishawanth.
When his family got the information, they contacted the then Kanpur MP Dr MM Joshi who wrote a mail to the then MEA Sushma Swaraj who immediately got back to the family with a reassuring personal touch and contacted the Malaysian authorities simultaneously.
“She got all the modalities done within no time by using her good offices and got me released. She even facilitated my journey back home and I reached India on the morning of April, 1, 2016,” recalls Vishwanath praying eternal peace for her.
On the other hand, Durgesh Singhal of Aligarh too was rescued from Saudi Arabia on an appeal of Help Desk Indian, a portal helping Indians stuck abroad. Paying his tribute to the departed leader, Rupesh of Help Desk Indian, claims that without Sushma Swaraj, Durgesh Singhal’s rescue was impossible. “In fact, all the important documents and passport of Durgesh were seized by the Saudi authorities.
“ I tweeted Madam about the plight of Durgesh hoping that she sees my tweet and responds. She not only responded immediately but also assured that Durgesh would be brought back safely and so it happened,” says Rupesh.
“In fact, Madam was the inspiration for me to start this portal to help out Indians stuck abroad,” he says.