Sushma Swaraj Death Anniversary: Sushma Swaraj was among the top ministers in the Modi cabinet
Remembering senior BJP leader and Union minister Sushma Swaraj on her first death anniversary, Prime Minister Narendra Modi hailed his late colleague for being India's "articulate" voice globally and serving the country in varied capacities till her death last year.
The Prime Minister also shared a link to a speech he gave at a prayer meeting held to commemorate the life of the late foreign minister, who had earned praise for responded to SOS tweets from Indians across the world.
"Remembering Sushma Ji on her first Punya Tithi. Her untimely and unfortunate demise left many saddened. She served India selflessly and was an articulate voice for India at the world stage," PM Modi tweeted.
In his speech, PM Modi remembered the multi-faceted life of Ms Swaraj, stating that he was lucky to have seen and learnt from the work ethics the 67-year-old personified. She was among the top ministers in the Modi cabinet in his first term.
Ms Swaraj, who was admired across political lines, had been unwell for some time before her demise in AIIMS-New Delhi on August 6 last year.
The former Supreme Court lawyer died hours after she had, in what would be her last tweet, congratulated PM Modi for the move to end special status to Jammu and Kashmir and reorganise the state into two union territories.
"Thank you Prime Minister. Thank you very much. I was waiting to see this day in my lifetime," Ms Swaraj had tweeted.
Earlier this year, the Central government conferred the Padma Vibhushan, the country's second highest civilian honour on Ms Swaraj.
In Februray, on the eve of her birth anniversary, the government had renamed the Pravasi Bharatiya Kendra, a cultural centre in Delhi reflecting India's connect with its diaspora, as Sushma Swaraj Bhavan.
The Foreign Service Institute, a renowned institution in Delhi where diplomats are trained, has also been renamed the Sushma Swaraj Institute of Foreign Service.