Bansuri Swaraj, daughter, and Swaraj Kaushal, husband of former external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj at BJP headquarters in New Delhi (PTI Photo/Arun Sharma)
Former External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj was cremated with full state honours at the Lodhi crematorium in Delhi. Swaraj passed away late Tuesday night after suffering a cardiac arrest. Her daughter, Bansuri Swaraj performed the last rites.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi along with other prominent leaders paid last respect to former Swaraj. After paying tribute to the late leader at her residence, PM Modi got emotional as he condoled the family of the deceased. “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,” PM Modi said, leading the nation in paying her tribute.
Sushma Swaraj, who served as the External Affairs Minister in the Modi-led BJP government during 2014-2019, opted out of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections and was left out of the new Cabinet. She remained politically senior to every important position-holder in the current BJP government. She was the country’s first full-time woman Foreign Minister.
Sushma Swaraj came into national limelight because of her ideologically fierce oratory in Lok Sabha. (Express Archive)
Sushma Swaraj's tweet on Afghan all-rounder Rashid Khan went viral in 2018 after the cricketer emerged as one of the biggest ambassadors for the game of cricket from the war-torn country of Afghanistan. READ HERE
Senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi wrote to Swaraj Kaushal, husband of Sushma Swaraj after the demise of the former foreign minister.
"Deeply saddened by the untimely demise of your wife. We have lost an extraordinary parliamentarian and a gifted orator."
Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh and Governor Najma Heptulla on Wednesday condoled the demise of former external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj. While the chief minister described Swaraj as a "remarkable leader and administrator whose death will leave a
void in Indian governance", the Governor remembered the former parliamentarian as "a younger sister".
A teary-eyed Heptulla told reporters here that Sushma Swaraj had put in a lot of innovative work during her tenure as the external affairs minister and made an effort to connect with the masses. "My relationship with Sushma Swaraj was based on friendship and not politics," she said.
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Leaders from China, Bangladesh, Iran and Singapore condoled on Wednesday the demise of former external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj and recalled her important role in cementing India's relations with the world. Swaraj passed away in New Delhi on Tuesday night after suffering a cardiac arrest. She was 67.
In her tribute, Bangladesh prime minister Sheikh Hasina said her country had lost a "good friend". Iranian Foreign Minister Zarif recalled his "fruitful" discussions with Swaraj.
Kiran Bedi recalled that Swaraj, her college friend, used to promptly respond to all pleas from the Raj Nivas for help for safe return of stranded persons abroad.
"Sushma Swaraj came to the rescue of women in distress overseas. So many families from Puducherry owe their reunion to her. She was very prompt and kind. Sushma Swaraj was my university friend and we miss her in our lives," she said.
Several people on Twitter are replying to a viral tweet posted by former foreign affairs minister Sushma Swaraj, who passed away on Tuesday night. In the 2017 tweet, Swaraj had offered to help a person who claimed to be stuck on Mars. READ HERE
At Karunanidhi's first death anniversary event in Chennai, condolences were paid for Sushma Swaraj and DMK leader Ayiram Vizhakku Hussain. Leaders and members of the public observed a minute of silence for the departed. Follow LIVE updates here
In 2004, Sushma Swaraj threatened to tonsure her head, wear white, and eat only roasted chana if the Italian-born Sonia Gandhi were to be sworn in Prime Minister. Over lunch one Friday noon in 2007, she told the Express team that she still stands by those statements as they stemmed from her convictions. READ HERE
China on Wednesday condoled the demise of external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj and recalled her important contributions in the development of bilateral relations. The senior BJP leader passed away in New Delhi on Tuesday night after suffering a cardiac arrest. She was 67.
“Madam Sushma Swaraj is a senior Indian politician,” Hua Chunying, Foreign Ministry spokesperson said in written response. “China deeply mourns for the passing of Madam Sushma Swaraj and expresses sincere condolences to her family,” Hua said.
Sushma Swaraj, BJP leader and former union minister, was cremated with full state honours today. Hundreds of people, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP president Amit Shah and veteran party leader L K Advani, gathered at the Lodhi Road crematorium to pay their final respects to the former external affairs minister.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Senior BJP leader LK Advani, Vice-President M Venkaiah Naidu and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh are present at Lodhi Crematorium for the last rites of Sushma Swaraj.
Bansuri Swaraj, daughter of former External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, performed her last rites at the Lodhi crematorium.
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Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and former Bhutan PM Tshering Tobgay are present at the Lodhi crematorium for the last rites of Sushma Swaraj. Swaraj will be accorded a state funeral.
Mortal remains of Sushma Swaraj have been brought to Lodhi crematorium for her last rites. Swaraj will be accorded a state funeral
Mortal remains of Sushma Swaraj being taken from BJP headquarters to Lodhi crematorium for last rites
Watch: Rajnath Singh, JP Nadda, Ravi Shankar Prasad, Piyush Goyal and other BJP leaders give shoulder to mortal remains of Sushma Swaraj as they are being taken from BJP headquarters to Lodhi crematorium in Delhi.
The mortal remains of former Foreign Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj is being taken from the BJP headquarters to Lodhi crematorium in Delhi for her last rites. She was accorded state honours.
Congress leader Sonia Gandhi on Wednesday described former external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj as a superb orator, great parliamentarian and a lady of "extraordinary gifts". In her condolence letter to Swaraj's husband, Swaraj Kaushal, Gandhi said she shared a warm personal relationship with the senior BJP leader after being together as colleagues in the Lok Sabha for many years.
"I am shocked and deeply saddened at the sudden passing away of your beloved wife Smt Sushma Swaraj," the Congress parliamentary party leader said. "Sushma Swaraj was a lady of extraordinary gifts, her courage, determination, dedication and ability manifest in every position she held." "Above all, it was her warm personal qualities that brought a special lustre to her years in public and political life," the United Progressive Alliance chairperson added. (PTI)
Fr Tom Uzhunnalil, a Catholic priest from Kerala who was kidnapped by suspected ISIS militants in strife-torn Yemen in 2016, said he said saddened by the news of the demise of Sushma Swaraj.
“My memory went back to the day when I happened to be speaking with her after my release on the 13th of September, 2017. Her conversation with me was more than an official authority as a minister. I felt like she was speaking to me like an elder sister," he said. READ MORE HERE
The traffic will remain affected near Lodhi Road due to the cremation of former foreign minister Sushma Swaraj, police said on Wednesday. Swaraj passed away at AIIMS after suffering a cardiac arrest on Tuesday night. She was 67.
The last rites of Swaraj, who was the chief minister of Delhi from October-December 1998, will be held at Delhi's Lodhi Road crematorium later in the day. Traffic on Lodhi Road, Lala Lajpat Rai Marg, near Neela Gumbad, Moolchand Flyover, Defence Colony Flyover, Lodhi Road Flyover and on adjoining roads will be affected from 2 pm to 5:30 pm, a senior police officer said. (PTI)
Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) on Sushma Swaraj: "She was happy with the recent historic development in the nation, as she expressed before she left us. We express condolences to her family in this moment of grief."
BJP's Jaya Prada on Sushma Swaraj: "We called her ‘didi’ and today she is no more with us. She was a mother, a sister, a huge politician and a great orator as well. She did a lot for the country, especially for the poor. We have lost a great, honest and a remarkable leader."
The high-voltage election contest between BJP’s Sushma Swaraj and Congress leader Sonia Gandhi in the 1999 Lok Sabha elections brought the Bellary constituency to national limelight. Though Swaraj lost the election, she weaved an emotional connect with Bellary and helped BJP lay its base in Karnataka. As she passed away on Tuesday, her followers in the constituency remember her as Sushma ‘Thayi’ (mother in Kannada).
She would visit the district every year to celebrate the Varamahalakshmi festival – a promise she had made to the people after her defeat in 1999. But corruption allegations against her close aides in Bellary – Janardhana Reddy and BJP leader Sriramulu – in 2011 forced her to discontinue the visits. Read more
Sushma' Swaraj's mortal remains brought to BJP headquarters. (Source: aphimages)
Home Minister Amit Shah with BJP working president J P Nadda at the BJP headquarters Wednesday. (Source: aphimages)
Minutes before she suffered a massive cardiac arrest, former foreign affairs minister Sushma Swaraj asked Senior Advocate Harish Salve to come and collect his fee of Re 1 for representing India at the International Court of Justice in the Kulbhushan Jadhav case.
Narrating the sequence of events, Salve told news agency ANI that he considered Swaraj as an elder sister and was “simply stunned” to hear about her demise. Read more
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath pays tribute to Sushma Swaraj at BJP headquarters.
Two years ago, in a grand gesture on Diwali, former external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj announced that India would grant medical visas to all Pakistanis with deserving cases. Taking to Twitter, which had become her regular mode of communication, she announced: “On the auspicious occasion of Deepawali, India will grant medical visa in all deserving cases pending today.”
During her tenure as foreign minister, Swaraj had eased permissions for Pakistanis to visit India for medical treatment despite growing strains between the two countries. Read more
When late Sushma Swaraj decided to not contest the Lok Sabha elections this year, her husband Swaraj Kaushal welcomed her decision not to contest the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. Known for his tongue-in-cheek humour, Swaraj thanked his wife then to not contest elections as he is "not young any more" to run after her. Here are his tweets -
"Madam (Sushma Swaraj) - Thank you very much for the decision to not contest any more elections. I remember there came a time when even Milkha Singh stopped running."
"This marathon has been on since 1977 - that is 41 years. You have contested 11 direct elections. In fact, you contested all elections held since 1977 except twice when party did not allow you to contest in 1991 and 2004."
"You have been four terms in Lok Sabha, three terms in Rajya Sabha and thrice elected to State Assembly. You are contesting elections since you were 25 - and fighting elections for 41 years is quite a marathon."
"Madam - I am running behind you for the last 46 years. I am no longer a 19-year-old. Please, I am also running out of breath. Thank you."
https://indianexpress.com/article/india/in-poll-bound-mp-sushma-swaraj-wont-be-in-2019-election-fray-5456422/
The mortal remains of former External Affairs Minister being taken to BJP headquarter in Delhi.
Geeta, the Indian girl who was brought back from Pakistan in 2015 when late Sushma Swaraj was External Affairs Minister, pays tribute to the leader.
Singapore Foreign Affairs Minister Vivian Balakrishnan on Wednesday remembered former External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj's "warm friendship" and said that she represented India on the world stage and fought tirelessly for Indian citizens.
Mourning the demise of the senior BJP leader, Balakrishnan tweeted, “I met her countless times, and will always recall her warm friendship and wise counsel. Our hearts are broken by her loss."
“Sushma Swaraj was a wonderful lady, always full of life, as she represented India on the world stage and fought tirelessly for her citizens," wrote the Singapore minister.
(PTI)
Dalbir Kaur, sister of Sarabjit Singh: Could not believe that she would leave us so soon, still can't. It's a huge loss for the entire country. She always helped people. Whether it was Hamid Ansari, Sarabjit, Geeta or Jadhav, she helped all. May her soul rest in peace
Former prime minister Dr Manohan Singh's condolence message on the demise of BJP leader Sushma Swaraj: "I was shocked to hear about the sudden demise of Smt Sushma Swaraj. I have fond memories of my association with her when she was Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha. She was a leader of high esteem who was highly respected by everybody irrespective of party-lines. She was a great Parliamentarian and exceptionally talented Minister of the Union Government. In her death our country has lost a respected and dedicated leader."
Rajya Sabha Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu and members of the House pay tribute to former EAM Sushma Swaraj.
Israeli Ambassador to India Ron Malka pays last respects to former External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj. He said, "I convey my condolences on behalf of people & the state of Israel. It is a great loss.She was a great friend of Israel. She played a big role in the remarkable progress in Israel-India relationship."
L K Advani, daughter break down after paying tribute to Sushma Swaraj.
Home Minister Amit Shah paid tribute to Sushma Swaraj.
UN General Assembly President Maria Fernanda Espinosa has expressed condolences at the demise of former External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, describing her as an "extraordinary" woman and leader who devoted her life to public service.
“Saddened by the news of the passing of @SushmaSwaraj, an extraordinary woman & leader who devoted her life to public service. I had the honour of meeting her in my visits to #India, & will always remember her fondly,” Espinosa tweeted.
She added in her tweet that she sends her “deepest condolences to all of her loved ones @IndiaUNNewYork," tagging India's Permanent Mission to the UN in her message.
(PTI)
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi pays tribute to former EAM Sushma Swaraj.
Starting her political career under the Janata Party, Sushma Swaraj was elected to the Haryana assembly in 1977 and became a state minister at the age of 25. Her rise within the BJP, considered a party of conservatives, was a testimony to her political acumen, courage and mass appeal. She came into national limelight because of her ideologically fierce oratory in Lok Sabha.
In the 1999 Lok Sabha elections, Sushma Swaraj jumped into the electoral fray against Congress president Sonia Gandhi, heading to Bellary in Karnataka. Though she was pitchforked by the BJP at the very last moment to contest against the Congress president, she learnt a smattering of Kannada to connect with the electorate in Bellary, forcing a keen contest. Read more
Haryana Government to observe a two-day state mourning in honour of senior BJP leader and former external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj.
Dr Manmohan Singh pays tribute to Sushma Swaraj.
L K Advani pays last respect to Sushma Swaraj.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi gets emotional after paying final tributes to former external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj at her residence.
Netizens mourned the sudden demise of former external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj, describing her as the ‘Iron Lady’ and ‘Mother India’ who changed the perception of how bureaucrats and politicians work. With her prompt and round-the-clock presence on Twitter that helped not just Indians abroad but also foreign nationals seeking help, she was often lauded and showered praise for her motherly love and being there always. Here's how Tweeple reacted to Sushma Swaraj's death
Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal and Deputy CM Manish Sisodia pay last respects to former external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj at her residence.
Samajwadi Party leader Ram Gopal Yadav gets emotional after paying tribute to former external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj at her residence.
Hamid Nihal Ansari, the Indian national who returned to the country in December last year after spending six years in a Pakistani jail, remembered former external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj as a mother figure. Swaraj had played a crucial role in bringing Ansari back to the country.
Remembering the late leader, Ansari told ANI, "I have deep respect for her and she'll always stay alive in my heart. She was like a mother to me. After my return from Pakistan, she guided me to look ahead. It's a big loss for me."
Mumbai based Ansari, 33, was apprehended by Pakistan’s intelligence agencies in 2012 after he crossed over to Pakistan from Afghanistan where he had reportedly gone to meet a woman he had befriended online. In 2015, a Pakistani military court sentenced him to three years’ imprisonment for possessing a fake identity card. He was lodged in the Peshawar Central Jail on December 15 that year. His jail term ended on December 16.
Here's the video of Ansari, along with his mother, meeting with Sushma Swaraj last year after his return from Pakistan.
Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla pays last respect to former external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj at her residence.
President Ram Nath Kovind pays last tribute to former external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj at her residence.
Veteran BJP leader L K Advani paid his tribute to former external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj. In his condolence message, Advani said, "The nation has lost a remarkable leader. To me, it is an irreparable loss and I will miss Sushmaji’s presence immensely. May her soul rest in peace. My heartfelt condolences to Swaraj ji, Bansuri and all members of her family."
"When I was the President of the BJP in the eighties, she was a promising young activist who I had inducted into my team. And over the years, she became one of the most popular and prominent leaders of our party- in fact, a role model for women leaders." Read L K Advani's full condolence letter
Delhi government announces a two-day state mourning in the memory of late BJP leader Sushma Swaraj. Swaraj was the chief minister of Delhi for a very brief period in 1998.
A statement by the Delhi government says there will be no cultural events during this period. All other government business and programmes, including the Anganwadi programme at Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium, will continue as scheduled.
BJP MP Hema Malini pays tribute to Sushma Swaraj at her residence.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia remembers Sushma Swaraj: "We express our sincere condolences to the people of India on the premature passing away of the former Foreign Minister of this friendly country."
Kerala's former chief minister Oommen Chandy pays last tribute to late BJP leader Sushma Swaraj at her residence.
TMC MP Derek O'Brien and Nobel laureate Kailash Satyarthi pay last respect to former external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj at her residence.
Here are some rare photos of former External Affairs Minister from Express archives. See more
Nepal Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli pays tribute to late leader Sushma Swaraj. "Deeply shocked to learn of the passing away of Smt. Sushma Swaraj, a senior political leader of India and former External Affairs Minister. Heartfelt condolences and deepest sympathies to the Government and people of India as well as to the bereaved family members," he tweeted
"I fondly recall how intimately she used to call me brother and share feelings of affinity," he added.
Groomed by party patriarch L K Advani as the next generation leader of the party, Swaraj worked under Prime Minister Vajpayee as Minister for Information and Broadcasting, and Health. Her crackdown against content being broadcast by FTV for the Indian audience created a flutter during her stint at the I&B. Though the move was frowned upon by a section of the industry, it burnished her image among the party’s traditional support base across the country. Read More