New Delhi: Union Minister Hardeep Puri on Friday shared some of his experiences on Twitter when he served as a civil servant before plunging into politics. He also shared some throwback pictures in a series of tweets, recalling his days when he worked for 11 Prime Minsters as a civil servant.
A 1974 batch Indian Foreign Service (IFS) officer, Hardeep Puri started his journey as a bureaucrat in 1978 when Morarji Desai, the first non-Congress PM, was at the helm.
In one of the images, Hardeep Puri, Minister of Housing & Urban Affairs, Petroleum and Natural Gas, is seen standing next to former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.
"Before being invited to join his Council of Ministers in Sept 2017 by PM Modi who is himself into a historic 2nd term, privileged to be a civil servant during tenure of 11 Indian PMs. Witnessed many momentous events. Began with 1st non-Congress PM Sh Morarji Desai Ji in 1978," Hardeep Puri tweeted.
Puri served as the Permanent Representative of India to the United Nations from 2009 to 2013. During his career as a diplomat, Puri was stationed at important posts in Brazil, Japan, Sri Lanka, and the United Kingdom. He joined the BJP in 2014.
Hardeep Puri also shared a few pictures from the 'Pradhanmantri Sangrahalaya' (prime ministers' museum), which was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday. The museum is a tribute to every prime minister in the country since Independence.
"Pradhanmantri Sangrahalaya is an iconic tribute to the stalwarts -- first non-Congress PM to complete a full term Atal Bihari Vajpayee, farmer leader Chaudhary Charan Singh, Chandrashekhar, PV Narasimha Rao, who opened up the economy, 1st Sikh PM Dr Manmohan Singh," he tweeted.
In the next tweet, Hardeep Puri mentioned about his "MEA boss Inder Kumar Gujral, HD Deve Gowda, Indira Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi and VP Singh."
"It took PM Narendra Modi's bipartisan dedication to India's democratic institutions to immortalise the contribution of these great leaders for the current and coming generations," the Union Minister tweeted.
Pradhanmantri Sangrahalaya, located at Delhi's Teen Murti Estate, tells the story of India after Independence through the lives and contributions of its prime ministers.
"It is aimed at sensitising and inspiring the younger generation about the leadership, vision and achievements of all our prime ministers," the PMO said in a statement.