Union minister and BJP leader Smriti Irani on Wednesday grieved former External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj's death and said she was an inspiration to a large number of women workers.
The Union Cabinet Minister for Textiles and Women and Child Development took to Twitter and wrote, "The sudden demise of didi (Sushma Swaraj) has left all of us in a shock."
"Today, I express sympathy for her, condolences to the bereaved family. As a worker, we must work for the upliftment of women which will be in true sense will be a tribute to didi," she said.
According to sources at AIIMS Delhi, the 67-year-old Swaraj was feeling restless at 9 pm and reached the hospital at around 9:30 pm in an ambulance yesterday. A team of doctors tried to revive her for 70 to 80 minutes but failed in their attempt. She was declared dead at 10:50 pm.
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Irani had tweeted last night saying, "I have an axe to grind with you, Didi. You made Bansuri pick a restaurant to take me for a celebratory lunch. You left without fulfilling your promise to the two of us."
In her last tweet, hours before she was rushed to AIIMS in critical condition, Sushma expressed contentment and thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the abrogation of Article 370, without specifically mentioning it.
"@narendramodi ji - Thank you Prime Minister. Thank you very much. I was waiting to see this day in my lifetime," Sushma said.
Sushma had decided not to contest the recently concluded Lok Sabha elections citing health conditions.
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Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday said a glorious chapter in Indian politics had come to an end.
He described her demise as a "personal loss".
"India grieves the demise of a remarkable leader," Modi wrote on Twitter.
(With inputs from ANI)
