Sushma Swaraj passes away: Rahul Gandhi, other Congress leaders mourn former Union Minister's demise

The Congress party mourned the loss of former Union Minister Sushma Swaraj after she passed away on Tuesday. The party expressed their grief to hear about the untimely demise of the veteran leader. Leaders of the party like Rahul Gandhi, P Chidambaram, Sachin Pilot, Ahmed Patel and Manish Tewari, Anand Sharma said they were shocked. 

Moments after the news of Sushma Swaraj’s demise surfaced, the official Twitter handle of Congress tweeted, “We are saddened to hear about the untimely demise of Smt Sushma Swaraj. Our condolences to her family and loved ones.” 

Former Congress President Rahul Gandhi too expressed his shock, "I’m shocked to hear about the demise of Sushma Swaraj Ji, an extraordinary political leader, a gifted orator & an exceptional Parliamentarian, with friendships across party lines. My condolences to her family in this hour of grief. May her soul rest in peace. Om Shanti"

P Chidambaram was in deep grief, "Deeply saddened that Sushma Swaraj ji has passed away. She served her party and the country with loyalty, devotion and distinction. She added a new, people friendly dimension to the office of Foreign Minister My sincere and heartfelt condolences to her family and loved ones."

Sachin Pilot tweeted, "Deeply saddened to learn of Sushma Ji’s passing away. I had worked with her in 2004 during the 14th Lok Sabha on the standing committee of home. She was an able administrator, articulate speaker and good human being." He added, "Despite being in a different party, she always had my highest respect. We will all miss her presence. May her soul rest in eternal peace.

Ahmed Patel wrote, “Shocked to learn about the passing away of Sushma ji. She was a warm hearted person , a passionate leader, an excellent orator and a true stateswoman. Her demise has left the country with an irreparable vaccum, it marks the end of an era."

Manish Tewari wrote, “Absolutely shocked to hear about the passing away of stalwart leader Smt.#SushmaSwaraj! The nation will miss her effervescence, warmth and unmissable receptiveness as a leader!” 

He added, "Despite being in a different party, she always had my highest respect. We will all miss her presence. May her soul rest in eternal peace."

Sushma Swaraj passed away at the AIIMS Hospital in Delhi on Tuesday.

She had been taken to the hospital at 8.45 PM after suffering from a cardiac arrest. 

Moments before her death, she had expressed her delight over the successful passage of the bill to revoke Article 370 in the Parliament,  

She had tweeted, “प्रधान मंत्री जी - आपका हार्दिक अभिनन्दन. मैं अपने जीवन में इस दिन को देखने की प्रतीक्षा कर रही थी. @narendramodi ji - Thank you Prime Minister. Thank you very much. I was waiting to see this day in my lifetime.” 

Sushma Swaraj had served as the External Affairs Minister in the first Prime Minister Narendra Modi government from 2014 to 2019.