With galaxy of leaders in attendance, Sushma Swaraj cremated with full state honours

Former External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj was cremated with full state honours here on Wednesday as a galaxy of leaders cutting across political lines paid rich tributes and their last respects to her.

The last rites were performed by Swaraj's daughter Bansuri as her father Swaraj Kaushal stood beside her at the Lodhi crematorium.

Delhi police personnel sounded the bugle as her body was taken to the electric crematorium as leaders from various parties and foreign dignitaries attended the last rites of the late BJP leader.

Those in attendance included - Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Home Minister Amit Shah, working BJP President J P Nadda, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari, Lal Krishna Advani, Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad, and Congress leader Anand Sharma, Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal who placed a wreath on the body.

The Delhi government had declared a two-day state mourning as a mark of respect to the late BJP leader.

Former Bhutanese Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay was also present.

Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut, Deputy Chief Minister of Delhi Manish Sisodia, Tripura Chief Minister Biplab Deb, were among the others who were present at the cremation.

Earlier, Rajnath Singh, Nadda, Ministers Ravi Shankar Prasad, Piyush Goyal and other BJP leaders lent shoulders when the body was carried out of the BJP headquarters.

Draped in tricolour, the body was kept at the BJP headquarters for the public to pay homage.

Swaraj breathed her last on Tuesday night at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) after suffering a cardiac arrest.

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