New Delhi: With the sad demise of Sushma Swaraj, India has lost an admired leader known for her people friendly initiatives. Fierce in her speeches, Sushma was one of the greatest woman leaders India has ever got. Her oratory skills especially in Hindi made her the most loved leaders in India. As India’s External Affairs Minister, Sushma Swaraj has left an indelible mark in the history of India. Cutting across party lines, her admirers saw her as a class apart and a sober politician. Above all she was a good human being. With the death of the most cherished people’s leader, a vacuum has been created which may or may not be filled.
The senior BJP leader and former external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj passed away late Tuesday night in Delhi’s AIIMS following a massive heart attack. The seven-time MP was having health related issues for the last few months. She had also underwent kidney transplantation in 2016. Citing health issues she had also refused to contest the Lok Sabha elections in 2019.
After Indira Gandhi, Sushma Swaraj was the only second woman to hold the portfolio of External Affairs Ministry. Her sting as the EAM will be remembered as the most people friendly. Her engagement with people through social media had no competition. Her active follow up of citizen’s problems through social media brought her laurels not only in the country but also other nations. She was appreciated for her proactive steps in helping distressed people living in foreign land.
Even if you are stuck on the Mars, Indian Embassy there will help you. https://t.co/Smg1oXKZXD
— Sushma Swaraj (@SushmaSwaraj) June 8, 2017
As a political leader, Swaraj has many firsts to her credit. At the age of 25, in 1977 she was the youngest cabinet minister in Haryana. She also became the first woman Chief Minister of Delhi and the first woman spokesperson for any national political party of India. She held the Information and Broadcasting and Parliamentary Affairs portfolios in the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government.
Sushma Swaraj’s treadmark Saree and prominent Bindi showed her as the traditional woman leader but at the same time she was one of the dynamic next Generation leaders open to new ideas. Belonging to the second rung leadership after Atal BIhari Valpayee and Lal Krishna Advani, she was a part of the leaders such as Pramod Mahajan, Arun Jaitley, Ananth Kumar, Venkaiah Naidu and Narendra Modi in the 1990s. Her speech of 1996 in Lok Sabha defending the trust vote was one of the best of her career.
Her political fight with Congress leader Sonia Gandhi will be remembered for ever. During the General Elections of 1999, she fought against Gandhi from Bellary Karnataka. Sushma’s dramatic pledge to tonsure her head if Sonia were to become PM after NDA lost in 2004 became huge debate in the country. But it did not affect the two leader’s relationship personally. In later years, the two leaders came closer to develop a cordial working relationship.
As BJP’s leader of opposition in Lok Sabha during the UPA-2 government, she effectively countered the government in many issues. From raising the scams that hit the Manmohan Singh government to leading protests she actively participated in the parliamentary affairs.
A sad coincident of Sushma’s tragic end is her last tweet which she made just before three hours of her death. She thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for scrapping Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir and said “I Was Waiting To See This Day In My Lifetime” – a tweet that brought tears to many eyes.
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
Team TheNewsroom pays tributes to the People’s Leader.