Jaishankar pays tribute to Sushma Swaraj on her birth anniversary

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Friday paid glowing tribute to his predecessor Sushma Swaraj on her 68th birth anniversary.

"Remember Sushma Swaraj, today more than ever. Her warmth, dedication and vision will always inspire us," Jaishankar tweeted.

In a tribute to Swaraj, the government on Thursday renamed the Pravasi Bharatiya Kendra, a cultural centre reflecting India's connect with its diaspora, as Sushma Swaraj Bhavan.

The late external affairs minister was known for her empathy in reaching out to distressed Indians globally.

The Foreign Service Institute, a renowned institution where diplomats are trained, has also been renamed the Sushma Swaraj Institute of Foreign Service.

The illustrious leader who brought rare empathy and a human approach to India's diplomacy as external affairs minister in the previous Narendra Modi government died on August 6 last year following a massive cardiac arrest.

The Ministry of External Affairs, in a statement on Thursday, said the two institutions have been renamed in solemn tribute to the "invaluable contribution" of Swaraj to Indian diplomacy, the cause of the Indian diaspora and the ethos of public service.

As external affairs minister, Swaraj brought a sense of assertiveness in India's diplomacy besides engaging the diaspora, a central focus of the country's foreign policy priorities.

Swaraj was one of the most followed foreign ministers on Twitter globally.

She was known for helping Indians stuck abroad as she was quick to respond to their calls for help on Twitter. Swaraj even became popular in Pakistan for her response to people wanting to get visas for medical treatment in India.

Swaraj had many firsts to her credit -- the youngest cabinet minister in the Haryana government, the first woman chief minister of Delhi and the first woman spokesperson for a national political party in the country.

She was Information and Broadcasting minister in the 13-day Atal Bihari Vajpayee government in 1996 and got the Cabinet portfolio again after he led the BJP to power in 1998.

Long seen as a protege of veteran BJP leader L K Advani, she also was the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha between 2009-14.

Swaraj, a law graduate who practised in the Supreme Court, was elected seven times as a member of Parliament and three times as a member of the legislative assembly.