BJP stalwart And Former External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj Dies At 67

0
224

NEW DELHI – Former External Affairs Minister and senior BJP leader Sushma Swaraj died late Tuesday night of cardiac arrest, shortly after she was admitted to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences. She was 67.

 

She was brought to the hospital at 9.35 pm in a state of cardiac arrest. A team of doctors tried to resuscitate her by giving CPR but couldn’t revive her. She died around 10 pm, the hospital’s spokesperson said.

 

Swaraj who underwent a kidney transplant in 2016, served as external affairs minister in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s cabinet from 2014 to 2019. She chose not to contest the last Lok Sabha elections and also opted out of the government for health reasons . She is survived by her husband Swaraj Kaushal and daughter Bansuri

 

A few hours before she died she had tweeted her congratulations to PM Modi after the Lok Sabha passed the resolution scrapping Article 370 of the Constitution.

 

“Thank you Prime Minister. Thank you very much. I was waiting to see this day in my lifetime,” she said.

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.

Swaraj who was the foreign minister May 26, 2014 to May 30, 2019, was the second woman to hold the office, after Indira Gandhi. She had won from Vidisha constituency in Madhya Pradesh for a second term in 2014, retaining her seat by a margin of over 400,000 votes.

The Congress also tweeted its condolence.

We are saddened to hear about the untimely demise of Smt Sushma Swaraj. Our condolences to her family and loved ones.

 

Several senior ministers, including Health Minister Harsh Vardhan, reached AIIMS after she was admitted to the hospital.

 

During her tenure as external affairs minister, Swaraj was active and popular on Twitter reaching out to the Indian diaspora in distress for assistance.

 

A seven-time Member of Parliament, she also served as MLA for three terms. She also served as 5th Chief Minister of Delhi from 13 October 1998 to 3 December 1998.