Former foreign minister Sushma Swaraj passes away at 67

Former External Affairs Minister and senior BJP leader Sushma Swaraj passed away at All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) New Delhi on Tuesday (August 6) night. She was 67.

She had suffered a cardiac arrest and was taken to AIIMS late in the night on Tuesday and admitted to the emergency ward. Doctors’s efforts to resuscitate her failed and she was pronounced dead.

She is survived by her husband Swaraj Kaushal and daughter Bhansuri.

Subsequently, several senior ministers rushed to the hospital, including Rajnath Singh, Nitin Gadkari, Piyush Goyal and Prahlad Joshi.

Earlier in the day, Swaraj had expressed gratitude to the Prime Minister Narendra Modi after the government abrogated the special status to Jammu and Kashmir and passed a bill for its bifurcation. “I was waiting to see this day in my lifetime,” she said.

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

Following her demise, Modi took to Twitter to express his grief.

“A glorious chapter in Indian politics comes to an end. India grieves the demise of a remarkable leader who devoted her life to public service and bettering lives of the poor. Sushma Swaraj Ji was one of her kind, who was a source of inspiration for crores of people,” he tweeted.

Sushma Ji’s demise is a personal loss. She will be remembered fondly for everything that she’s done for India. My thoughts are with her family, supporters and admirers in this very unfortunate hour. Om Shanti.

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) August 6, 2019

“I can’t forget the manner in which Sushma Ji worked tirelessly as EAM in the last 5 years. Even when her health was not good, she would do everything possible to do justice to her work and remain up to date with matters of her Ministry. The spirit and commitment was unparalleled,” he said in another tweet.

Congress too condoled the death of the BJP leader, tweeting, “We are saddened to hear about the untimely demise of Smt Sushma Swaraj. Our condolences to her family and loved ones.”

Former Congress president Rahul Gandhi expressed his shock and remembered her as an “exceptional Parliamentarian, with friendships across party lines”.

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