PM among hundreds at Lodhi Road crematorium to pay last respects to Swaraj

Hundreds of people, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP president Amit Shah and veteran party leader L K Advani, gathered at the Lodhi Road crematorium here on Wednesday to pay their final respects to former external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj.

The body of the long-time BJP leader, who died here on Tuesday at the age of 67, was brought to the crematorium from the party office.

Many jostled for a last glimpse as the casket with her mortal remains, wrapped in the tricolour, was put in the hearse in preparation for her final journey.

Others tried to capture images on their mobile phones in the main hall of the BJP headquarters and outside as the van rolled across the street.

Neeti Jain, a BJP party worker, said Swaraj was an inspiration to all women who entered politics.

"I got to meet her during the 2019 Lok Sabha polls while we were taking recorded interviews for All India Radio, DD News. I clicked a picture with her and wrote, 'It was a fangirl moment for me'. My 90-year-old grandfather saw the picture and he told me, 'I am proud of you today'. Such was her charisma that people from three generations looked up to her," Jain said.

Meena Bhati, a party worker from Uttar Pradesh, echoed Jain.

"I had to come to seek her blessings for one last time. We have all heard her speak and there are no words to describe this loss," Bhati said.

Rajya Sabha MP Amar Singh said, "She was like a sister to me and an extremely polite woman. Her death is shocking to us. I still can't believe she's gone.