BJP stalwart Sushma Swaraj passes away at 67 after heart attack

News Network
August 6, 2019

New Delhi, Aug 6: Former Union Minister Sushma Swaraj passed away on Tuesday night after suffering a heart attack in New Delhi. She was rushed to the Emergency at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS). Cardio-Pulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) was administered but doctors were unable to revive her, said hospital officials.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid rich tributes to Ms. Swaraj, saying: “A glorious chapter in Indian politics comes to an end. India grieves the demise of a remarkable leader who devoted her life to public service and bettering lives of the poor. Sushma Swaraj Ji was one of her kind, who was a source of inspiration for crores of people.”

Ms. Swaraj, 67, had a long career in politics known for her skilled oratory and had been, at 25 years, the youngest-ever Cabinet Minister in the Haryana government led by the late Devi Lal. A lawyer by training, Ms. Swaraj was part of the legal team put together by the Opposition when socialist leader George Fernandes was arrested around the Emergency. Since she and Swaraj Kaushal, who was also involved with the Socialists, were part of the legal team and had to travel to Mumbai together, their law professor and later Chief Justice of India A.S. Anand suggested that they get married, a story later recounted by her with much relish.

While she has been considered a late comer to the BJP, having started out in the socialist ranks, but she held the confidence of top leaders and was chosen by the late Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee to take on UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi in Bellary in 1999. While she lost that election, she won hearts, narrowed the victory margin of the Congress and provided a foothold to the BJP in that area.

She was variously Information and Broadcasting, Parliamentary Affairs and Health Minister in the Vajpayee government and also served as Delhi Chief Minister in 1998, a position she lost to Sheila Dikshit who also passed away recently.

Ms. Swaraj and Ms. Gandhi tangled again in 2004, after the UPA came to power with the former threatening to shave her head and live on berries if the latter became Prime Minister. As Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha between 2009 and 14, however, the two did repair their relationship.

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.

Ill health (she had a kidney transplant a couple of years ago) made her opt out of electoral politics, and later also from the new Cabinet formed by Mr. Modi in his second term.

Her death has brought to a close an important chapter in Indian politics.

Comments

Mr Frank
 - 
Thursday, 8 Aug 2019

When some one die if people say good about her or him they are really good people and good in human gesture Sushmaji among one of them.

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News Network
July 27,2020

Bengaluru, Jul 27: Former Karnataka chief minister H D Kumaraswamy on Monday took strong exception to the BJP's celebration over completing one year in office and alleged that people are suffering due to anti-people policies of the state government.

In a tweet on Monday, he said that since the last six months pension due to physically challenged, old age and Widow pensions were not paid. He urged the Government Issue emerge order to release pension amounts immediately. It was shameful on the part of the Government to keep the pension amount being kept pending.

This government has no eyes and ears and claiming only challenging years and transparent government, what examples required for them, he questioned.

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News Network
June 11,2020

Bengaluru, Jun 11: Most COVID-19 deaths in Karnataka occur when infected elderly people, those with Severe Acute Respiratory Illness (SARI) or any other symptoms delay reaching designated hospitals, a top official said.

Munish Moudgil, chief of COVID-19 War Room in the state, said most of those infected with the virus are brought to COVID-19 designated hospitals at a very late stage and recovery then becomes extremely tough.

He said about 65 per cent of those killed suffered from SARI and are aged above 60.

The death rate due to SARI is 43 per cent for those in the 40-60 age group, he said, releasing data on coronavirus deaths, to reporters.

In the same age group, the mortality due to Influenza Like Illness (ILI) was 17.4 per cent, whereas it is 11.1 per cent among people aged above 60 .

He said 25 per cent of symptomatic patients aged above 60 die due to the virus, while it was 10.7 per cent in the 40-60 age group.

The fatalities among those aged 60 is high even if they are asymptomatic, Mr Moudgil, who is secretary in the Department of Personnel and Administrative Reforms, said.

He said the average number of days spent at these hospitals by those who recovered is about 15 days, compared to 3.5 days for those who died of the virus.

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"Hence persons who are elderly and who have comorbidities or who have SARI must reach designated Covid hospitals at the earliest," Mr Moudgil said.

As of date, Karnataka has reported 69 COVID-19 deaths As many as 6,041 people have tested positive for COVID-19, including 2,862 discharges and 3,108 active cases.

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News Network
June 11,2020

Bengaluru, Jun 11: A love triangle took a violent turn when a final-year engineering student was assaulted by both her current and former lovers. She's now battling for her life in the ICU, police said. 

For the 22-year-old woman, who lives in Sidedahalli, it was a case of fast-changing relationships. She broke up with a fellow student Babith, 21, a few months ago after having dated him for four years. Four months ago, she started seeing another collegemate named Rahul, 22, and everything seemed fine. 

On June 7, she went to Rahul's house, ostensibly for his birthday party, after informing her parents. Babith got wind of it and barged into Rahul's house. The trio got into an argument, and Rahul abused and assaulted her. 

The woman decided to leave him, and went with Babith to his house in Chikkabanavara, North Bengaluru. But things didn't end there. Babith picked an argument with her. Things became so bad that he attacked her with a helmet. 

He then panicked and called her parents, asking them to take her home. When her parents arrived, they found only Babith, his mother and sister in the house. Babith's family directed them to a bedroom where she was lying motionless, with her face being badly wounded. 

When her parents demanded to know what had happened, nobody responded. They took her to a hospital where her condition remains serious. A while later, Babith came to the hospital and gave her parents the key of her scooter. He told them what had happened and allegedly warned them against filing a police complaint. 

Her mother, however, filed a complaint with the jurisdictional Soladevanahalli police. According to her, Babith had fought with her daughter at their house for not taking his phone calls six months ago. 

Shashikumar N, Deputy Commissioner of Police (North), said both the men had been arrested and that further investigations are underway. 

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