Sushma Swaraj: A law graduate, a firebrand leader who attracted youth much before Twitter
Sushma Swaraj, a lady of many firsts, is no more. Condolences have not stopped pouring in since the news of the 67-year-old's death came out of New Delhi's All India Institute of Medical Sciences. Micro-blogging site Twitter and other social media platforms like Facebook and WhatsApp are flooded with outpouring emotions, as people from all walks of life pay their last respects.
Many in the Twitter generation remember Sushma Swaraj as the external affairs minister in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's cabinet who distinguished herself with an active presence on social media, often attending to the SOS calls made by Indians stranded abroad.
She truly was a leader who took the Raisina Hills to the common man's doors.
However, many would be unaware that much before she was made the external affairs minister, Sushma Swaraj was already a popular figure among the youth. With Jayprakash Narayan leading the revolt during Emergency of 1975, Sushma established herself as a distinct orator, who could capture the imagination with her clear and direct speeches, thus becoming a role model for many in the upcoming generation.
Slowly she established herself as a huge crowd-puller, next only to BJP doyen Atal Bihari Vajpayee.
Sushma Swaraj received a law degree and her political career took off in the 1970s, closely associated with other socialist leaders. She actively opposed an emergency rule imposed in 1975 by then-Prime Minister Indira Gandhi of the Congress party. She later joined the Bharatiya Janata Party and rose through the ranks to become one of its top leaders.
She was a member of the Haryana state legislature from 1977 to 1982 and again from 1987 to 1990. She then entered national politics and served as an information and broadcasting minister, parliamentary affairs minister and health minister before becoming the chief minister of Delhi in the late 1990s.
She was an exemplary parliamentarian who championed the cause of the Women Reservation Bill in Parliament. She spoke with conviction and her fluent Hindi struck an instant chord with the masses.
Sushma Swaraj was a leader who earned respect even from her political opponents. She was available for her people even during odd hours. Her husband Swaraj Kaushal, in a letter after she refused to take any post in Modi 2.0 government, described how he tried hard for years to convince her to give up active politics owing to her deteriorating health.
Swaraj Kaushal himself is a senior advocate of the Supreme Court of India and a former governor of Mizoram state. Sushma Swaraj's daughter, Bansuri, is also an advocate.
Sushma Swaraj with daughter Bansuri (File Pic)
Sushma Swaraj indeed touched many lives. Even her staunch rival and Congress party leader Rahul Gandhi described Swaraj as "an extraordinary political leader, a gifted orator and an exceptional parliamentarian with friendships across party lines".
Her demise comes a year after Atal Bihari Vajpayee's demise in August of 2018.
India will surely feel the void of a leader. RIP Sushma Swaraj.
Also Watch: Sushma Swaraj's powerful speech on Kashmir
