Sushma Swaraj dies at 67
She died late Tuesday night, shortly after she was admitted to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences
India's former External Affairs Minister and senior BJP leader Sushma Swaraj died late Tuesday night, shortly after she was admitted to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences. She was 67.
Swaraj who underwent a kidney transplant a couple of years ago, served as external affairs minister in Narendra Modi’s cabinet in the NDA’s first term. She chose not to contest the last Lok Sabha elections and also opted out of the government.
A few hours before she died she had tweeted her congratulations to Prime Minister Narendra Modi after the Lok Sabha passed the resolution scrapping Article 370 of the Constitution.
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“Thank you Prime Minister. Thank you very much. I was waiting to see this day in my lifetime,” she said.
PM Modi mourned her death and described her as a remarkable leader who devoted her life to public service.
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 n 2014, retaining her seat by a margin of over 400,000 votes.
The Congress also tweeted its condolence.
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.
