Indian politics needs more like NZ PM Jacinda Ardern: Jairam Ramesh

Reacting to New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern's surprise announcement that she will step down next month, Congress General Secretary Jairam Ramesh on Thursday said that "Indian politics need more like her".

In a tweet, he said: "Legendary cricket commentator, Vijay Merchant once said about retiring at the peak of his career: Go when people ask why is he going instead of why isn't he going. Kiwi PM, Jacinda Ardern has just said she is quitting following Merchant's maxim. Indian politics needs more like her."

Addressing reporters earlier on Thursday, Ardern announced that she will step down next month after being in power for six years, saying she no longer has "enough in the tank" to lead.

The 42-year-old, who became the youngest female head of government in the world when she was elected Prime Minister in 2017, said that the six "challenging" years in the job had taken a toll.