India's ex-foreign minister Sushma Swaraj passes away

67-year-old suffered a heart attack and was admitted to hospital where she breathed her last

India’s former External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj. PHOTO: FILE

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) stalwart and India's ex-foreign minister Sushma Swaraj passed away late Tuesday night in New Delhi.

According to India Today, the 67-year-old suffered a heart attack and was taken to a New Delhi  hospital where she breathed her last.

She was unable to contest this year's general elections and chose to sit out of the government owing to health concerns.

She had a kidney transplant back in 2016. The nine-time parliamentarian, was known for her oratory and administrative abilities.

She became the country's youngest cabinet minister of Haryana state back in 1977 and is only the second woman to take charge of the foreign ministry after Indira Gandhi.

Swaraj has been the chief minister of Delhi, and later held the portfolios of information and broadcasting, and health in the NDA government led by Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

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India's Congress Party sent a condolence message on their official twitter account, We are saddened to hear about the untimely demise of Sushma Swaraj. Our condolences to her family and loved ones."




While Indian premier Narendra Modi also took to Twitter, saying that,"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."



'Sushma Ji was a prolific orator and outstanding Parliamentarian. She was admired and revered across party lines. She was uncompromising when it came to matters of ideology and interests of the BJP, whose growth she immensely contributed to," he added.







#SushsmaSwaraj soon became the top trend in the country as condolences poured in for the ex-foreign minister.
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