Sushma Swaraj passes away: Here's how Indian dailies paid tribute to former external affairs minister

BJP leader and former external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj  passed away  due to a cardiac arrest on Tuesday. As the news of her death spread, reactions poured in on social media with leaders from  various political parties offering condolences while citizens took to Twitter to condole the death of the most ‘millennial’ minister the Indian government has ever had. The 67-year-old politician was respected by all and is hailed as the ‘supermom’ of India aptly by  The Washington Post for solving concerns of distressed Indians around the globe. Indian publications delivering the late-night news of Swaraj’s demise carried obituaries highlighting her long career from an activist to being the first female foreign minister of the world. Swaraj also broke the glass ceiling by being the first woman to hold several offices for the first time in India. Here’s a look at how some of the top newspapers in the country covered Swaraj’s death. The Times of India

The daily ran with the headline ‘Sushma Swaraj, who took diplomacy to the people dies’. The inside pages of the newspaper carried a piece titled ‘She bought the exalted foreign ministry down to the aam aadmi’ that took a look at her 42-year political journey. The article praised her for her use social media, especially for her prompt responses on Twitter to address grievances of overseas Indians, saying, “She took to social media as if she was born to it. She brought the exalted foreign minister down to the average Indian, particularly one in distress or in need, stranded in a foreign land.” SUSHMA SWARAJ TO BE CREMATED AT 3 PM TODAY: FOLLOW LATEST UPDATES The Indian Express

The Indian Express ran its frontpage with the headline: ‘Sushma Swaraj is no more’. The article recalled her journey from being the youngest minister in 1977 to being the external affairs minister in 20109, hailed her as ’the BJP’s fighter-in-chief’. It highlighted how she blended with grit and grace during her tenure as a politician. In its obituary piece, the paper used multiple photos of the ‘most accessible’ foreign minister, including the one with Barack Obama, LK Advani, Atal Bihari Vajpayee. The article called Swaraj someone ‘who had by then earned a formidable reputation in helping overseas Indians in distress; the External Affairs Minister who brought a humane touch to the otherwise distant and officious Ministry of External Affairs (MEA).’ The Hindu

The Hindu, in its obituary piece, called her a ‘BJP stalwart with socialist roots’  discussed her long career as in politics.  “While she has been considered a latecomer to the BJP, having started out in the socialist ranks, but she held the confidence of top leaders and was chosen by Vajpayee to take on UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi in Bellary in 1999.” read the piece. Though, like most publications, the newspaper too praised her tenure as a foreign minister and her use of Twitter and said: “The late leader was seen as part of the old guard of the BJP but fit in well as a responsive Minister for External Affairs on social media who nevertheless ceded the limelight to Prime Minister Modi in foreign policy.” Hindustan Times

Hindustan Times ran the front page with a headline: ‘Towering BJP leader dies of cardiac arrest’. While their obituary piece called Swaraj ‘The people’s politician with a helping hand’ with a brief history about her tenure as the foreign minister and remembered her as ‘a powerful and articulate Hindi orator in Parliament who was just as well known for her quick wit.’