People’s leader till the very last

Sushil Manav

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, August 7

Haryana bade adieu to its daughter Sushma Swaraj with a heavy heart. “She was a leader with rare qualities. Her demise has come as a shock,” said a devastated Anil Vij, Haryana’s Health Minister.

Swaraj was elected MLA from Ambala Cantonment twice – in  1977 and 1987. The constituency is represented by Vij now, who recalled that Swaraj’s entry into electoral politics was accidental.

A veteran journalist remembers a debate among various candidates in Ambala in 1977. “Congress candidate Dev Raj Anand, who was then sitting MLA, boasted of his achievements. When Swaraj was called to speak, she simply asked the people, “What would you like? Ek Chaadar Maili Si or Kora Kagaz?” There was a thunderous applause. She won the debate, as also the election.

He said Swaraj was instrumental in sewing BJP’s alliance with Bansi Lal’s Haryana Vikas Party in 1996 and later Kuldeep Bishnoi’s Haryana Janhit Congress.

Sampat Singh, who was Devi Lal’s political adviser from 1977 to 1980, said Swaraj was fearless and never hesitated to speak her mind. “ There was a drought in 1987. Speaking on the floor of the Assembly, Swaraj  observed: “There is drought in the state, but people in the government are getting richer.” Despite the attack, CM Devi Lal was forced to appreciate her oratory.”

Interestingly, while many think that she entered politics via BJP’s student wing Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad, DN Jauhar, her professor at the Law Department, Panjab University, claimed it was only after she came in contact with George Fernandes in 1976 after his arrest in the so-called Baroda dynamite case that she was drawn to politics. She volunteered to fight his case.

There were many reasons why Sushma Swaraj, a seven-time parliamentarian, will be remembered. Standing just about five feet, she towered in the party and politics largely dominated by men. While Atal Bihari Vajpayee and LK Advani charted the saffron path to power, she emerged on her own with her oratory skills, grassroot connect, mass appeal and dignity. 

Meanwhile, the Haryana Government on Wednesday decided to observe two-day state mourning as a mark of respect to Sushma Swaraj. As per a circular issued by Chief Secretary’s Office, the National Flag would fly at half-mast on August 7 and August 8 in the state on all official buildings.