Sushma Swaraj was an ambassador of Indian culture: LS speaker Om Birla

Expressing condolences on the death of former external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj, Lok Sabha speaker Om Birla said that Sushma Swaraj was an ambassador of the Indian culture who understood everyone's problem and solved them.

"SushmaSwaraj ji was an ambassador of the Indian culture. She was an able administrator and a sensitive leader. Today the entire country is sad to lose a leader like her. She understood everyone's problems and served them. We are standing with her family," he said while talking to ANI.

Jammu and Kashmir Governor Satya Pal Malik also condoled the demise of Sushma Swaraj and said it will be very difficult to fill the space left by her.

"I am in grief over the sudden demise of former Union Minister and veteran political leader Sushma Swaraj. It will be very difficult to fill the space left by her. I pray for peace to departed soul and strength to the bereaved family in their hour of grief," said Malik in a press release on Wednesday.

Former Prime Minister and Janata Dal (Secular) (JDS) leader HD Deve Gowda wrote a letter to Swaraj Kaushal, Sushma Swaraj's husband expressing his grief over the demise of Sushma Swaraj.

"My heartfelt condolences to the family. I will pray to the almighty to give your benign self, all the family members, followers and well-wishers the strength to overcome this tragedy," he stated in the letter.

Uttarakhand Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat has declared state mourning today on the demise of former EAM.

"I am extremely sad over the sudden demise of former external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj. It's a huge loss for the nation. I pay tributes. We have declared state mourning today," said Rawat.

Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant also condoled the death of Swaraj and termed her loss as a loss for Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

"Her death is a loss to BJP and the nation. I met her for the first time in 1999 when she came to my constituency since then I had known her. She was a great leader and in her term as External Affair minister she did really well," said Sawant while talking to ANI on Wednesday.

Swaraj was admitted to All India Institutes of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) following a deterioration in her health.

According to sources at AIIMS, the 67-year-old was feeling restless at 9 pm and reached the hospital at around 9:30 pm in an ambulance. A team of doctors tried to revive her for 70 to 80 minutes but failed in their attempt. Swaraj was declared dead at 10:50 pm.

Swaraj was appointed the foreign minister in the first term of Modi government in 2014. She opted out of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections citing health reasons.