Sushma Swaraj passes away: UN General assembly president expresses condolences, says she was an extraordinary woman

Former Union External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj passed away on Tuesday night, after having suffered a cardiac arrest in New Delhi. The senior BJP leader was taken to AIIMS at quarter to nine in a critical condition on Tuesday evening. Senior BJP leaders of the likes Nitin Gadkari and Dr Harshvardhan accompanied her to AIIMS.

Condolences began pouring in from foreign dignitaries and others following her demise. María Fernanda Espinosa Garcés, the president of UN general assembly paid her tributes to the leader. Recalling the affable leader she said that Swaraj was an extraordinary woman who devoted her entire life to public service. She extended her deepest condolences to the leader's friends and family while recalling her meeting with Swaraj. 

Former EAM Sushma Swaraj's biography

Sushma Swaraj, before joining politics, practised law as an advocate at the Supreme Court of India in 1973, following which she joined the ABVP. Later, she went on to participate in Jayprakash Narayan's movement during the Emergency, after which she joined the newly founded BJP. In her path-breaking political career, Swaraj served as the Chief Minister of Delhi, and then, in the Atal Bihari Vajpayee-led NDA government, as a union minister in multiple ministries. In the first Modi government, she was appointed as the External Affairs Minister - a portfolio she redefined owing to her hands-on approach wherein she would often respond to citizens'queries on Twitter. She declined to contest the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

READ: Sushma Swaraj Passes Away: Smriti Irani Mourns Her Demise, Reveals Last Unfulfilled Promise

PM Modi expresses condolences

PM Narendra Modi took to Twitter and expressed his sadness over her demise. In a series of tweets, he spoke of her highly marking the event of her death as 'an end of a glorious chapter in politics'. Calling her a prolific orator and outstanding Parliamentarian, he said the nation will grieve her death as she was an inspiration to all. He said that she was 'excellent administrator', and 'set high standards in every Ministry she handled'.

READ: Sushma Swaraj passes away: She breathed her last on the day she waited her lifetime to see, her last tweet confirms