Former External Affairs minister Sushma Swaraj passed away in Delhi on August 6 after suffering a cardiac arrest. The 67-year-old BJP leader, who left behind a legacy of an easily-accessible minister with her revolutionary social media outreach, will be remembered for her powerful speeches.
One of the most impassioned speeches of Swaraj was on June 11, 1996, when she stood to speak against the no-confidence motion. In the speech, Swaraj talked about “abolishing” Article 370, the same issue on which she posted her last tweet, hours before her demise.
Swaraj lashed out at her party’s opponents for calling themselves secular and BJP communal. “We are communal because we want to abolish Article 370, we are communal because we want to put an end to discrimination based on caste and creed in this country… Mr Speaker, we are communal because we want the voices of the Kashmiri refugees to be heard,” said Swaraj.
Watch | Historic speech of Sushma Swaraj in Parliament
Swaraj thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for abrogating Article 370. “Thank you Prime Minister. Thank you very much. I was waiting to see this day in my lifetime,” read her last tweet.
IN PICS | Sushma Swaraj passes away at 67: Journey of the 'people's minister' in pictures
In her stint as the Minister of External Affairs, Swaraj delivered powerful speeches at the United Nations. In her address during the General Debate at the 70th General Assembly session in 2015, Swaraj talked about 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks. She said, “The world shared our outrage at the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks in which citizens of many nations were helplessly butchered. That the mastermind behind the attack is walking free is an affront to the entire international community. Not only have past assurances in this regard not been honoured, but new cross-border terrorist attacks have taken place recently, in which two terrorists from across the border have also been captured alive.”
In her address during the General Debate at the 71st UN General Assembly session in 2016, Swaraj made a veiled dig at Pakistan. In her speech, she said the PM of Pakistan “used this podium to make baseless allegations about human rights violations in my country” and added that “those accusing others of human rights violations would do well to introspect and see what egregious abuses they are perpetrating in their own country, including in Balochistan. The brutality against the Baloch people represents the worst form of State oppression.”
In 72nd UNGA, Swaraj made a sharp attack on Pakistan, as she said, “We are completely engaged in fighting poverty; alas, our neighbour Pakistan seems only engaged in fighting us.”
Swaraj, in her last address during the General Debate at the 73rd UNGA, lambasted Pakistan, accusing it of being an “expert in trying to mask malevolence with verbal duplicity”. In a fiery speech before the UNGA, Swaraj justified India’s decision to call off the meeting with her Pakistani counterpart and dismissed the latter’s claims that India is trying to sabotage the talks by calling it a “lie”.
Former EAM Sushma Swaraj passes away at 67: Follow the LIVE updates here
India's Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador Syed Akbaruddin tweeted a video montage of Swaraj's powerful speeches at the UN, beginning from her address to the General Debate at the 70th General Assembly session in 2015 till her statement in 2018.
"Leaving behind indelible memories. We @IndiaUNNewYork will always cherish memories of her @UN. Farewell Madam @SushmaSwaraj," Akbaruddin said in an emotional message on Twitter.
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