New Delhi: Former external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj passed away Tuesday night after being admitted to AIIMS in a critical condition. She was 67.
Swaraj is survived by her husband, former governor Swaraj Kaushal, and daughter Bansuri.
Hospital sources said Swaraj was brought to AIIMS at 10:15pm and was taken straight to the emergency ward, PTI reported.
A number of senior ministers, including Rajnath Singh, Nitin Gadkari and Piyush Goyal, rushed to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences.
Swaraj had posted a tweet in the evening, congratulating Prime Minister Narendra Modi after the central government’s bold move to revoke special status for Jammu and Kashmir and bifurcate the border state into two Union Territories secured Parliament’s approval.
“Thank you Prime Minister. Thank you very much. I was waiting to see this day in my lifetime,” she wrote.
प्रधान मंत्री जी – आपका हार्दिक अभिनन्दन. मैं अपने जीवन में इस दिन को देखने की प्रतीक्षा कर रही थी. @narendramodi ji – Thank you Prime Minister. Thank you very much. I was waiting to see this day in my lifetime.
— Sushma Swaraj (@SushmaSwaraj) August 6, 2019
Swaraj, who had a kidney transplant in 2016, had opted out of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.
Reactions pour in
Prime Minister Modi condoled Swaraj’s death, calling her “one of her kind, who was a source of inspiration for crores of people”.
An excellent administrator, Sushma Ji set high standards in every Ministry she handled. She played a key role in bettering India’s ties with various nations. As a Minister we also saw her compassionate side, helping fellow Indians who were in distress in any part of the world.
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) August 6, 2019
Sushma Ji was a prolific orator and outstanding Parliamentarian. She was admired and revered across party lines.
She was uncompromising when it came to matters of ideology and interests of the BJP, whose growth she immensely contributed to.
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) August 6, 2019
The Congress party was among the first to send out a condolence message. “We are saddened to hear about the untimely demise of Smt Sushma Swaraj. Our condolences to her family and loved ones,” the party tweeted.
Party leader Rahul Gandhi also posted on Twitter, calling Swaraj an “extraordinary political leader”.
I’m shocked to hear about the demise of Sushma Swaraj Ji, an extraordinary political leader, a gifted orator & an exceptional Parliamentarian, with friendships across party lines.
My condolences to her family in this hour of grief.
May her soul rest in peace.
Om Shanti ?
— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) August 6, 2019
KPCC president Dinesh Gundu Rao said, “One of India’s great parliamentarians, who could hold her own in any debate. Respected, affable and well-liked by all. We’re going to miss her.”
Lawyer, chief minister, minister
Born at Ambala Cantt in Haryana in 1952, Swaraj did her graduation in law from Panjab University.
The three-term MLA and seven-time MP also became the chief minister of Delhi in 1998.
A former Supreme Court lawyer, Swaraj served as external affairs minister in the first Modi government from May 2014 to May 2019, making her the second woman to hold the office after former prime minister Indira Gandhi.
She also a part of the Vajpayee cabinet, where she held the portfolios of health and family welfare, and information and broadcasting.
Swaraj had joined the BJP after the Emergency and played a pivotal role in the party’s political journey. She first became a state minister at age 25 in 1977 in Haryana CM Devi Lal’s Janata Party government. Swaraj was also the state president of the Janata Party (Haryana) in 1979.
(With PTI inputs)
Soo sad, god is so unkind to us all of us. He could have taken Arun Jaitley instead of her. Her death is great loss to the Nation. RIP
Rest in peace. Ab ki baari Atal Behari, Agli baar Behen hamari.