Former Indian foreign minister Sushma Swaraj dies at 67
http://www.hrlnews.com/2019/08/former-indian-foreign-minister-sushma.html
Sushma Swaraj, India’s former foreign minister and a prominent leader
of the ruling Hindu-nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party, died Tuesday at
67, local media reported.
The Press Trust of India said that Swaraj died of a heart attack
after she was rushed to hospital in New Delhi on Tuesday evening.
In a series of tweets, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi described
Swaraj’s death as a “personal loss” and praised her work as foreign
minister.
“She played a key role in bettering India’s ties with various nations.
“As a Minister we also saw her compassionate side, helping fellow
Indians who were in distress in any part of the world,” Modi wrote.
Just hours before her death, Swaraj wrote a final tweet praising Modi
for his decision to revoke Indian-administered Kashmir’s special
constitutional status.
“Thank you Prime Minister. Thank you very much. I was waiting to see this day in my lifetime,” she said.
Rahul Gandhi, the leader of the opposition Congress party, tweeted
that Swaraj was “an extraordinary political leader, a gifted orator and
an exceptional parliamentarian …”
Swaraj was appointed external affairs minister in Modi’s first term
of government in 2014 and served until earlier this year when she
decided against running in the national elections due to health reasons.
She successfully underwent a kidney transplant operation in Dec. 2016.
Swaraj made her mark as Indian foreign minister thanks to her direct
responses, often via social media, to appeals for help on a range of
issues.
In 2016, Swaraj helped a Pakistani bride obtain a visa for her
wedding in India and has helped other members of the Indian diaspora in
other times of distress.