Tributes paid to Sushma Swaraj in Rajya Sabha

New Delhi: Rajya Sabha Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu, on Wednesday, paid rich tributes to former External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, who died on Tuesday, and observed two minutes silence as a mark of respect to her memory.

"I rise in deep sorrow with a heavy heart to inform the house of the sudden demise of former External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj. She was a member of the House for three terms - April 1990 to April 1996, April 2000 to April 2006 and April 2006 to May 2009. She was also elected to the Lok Sabha four times in 1996, 1998, 2009 and 2014. She was first elected to the Haryana legislature in 1977," Naidu said reading out from a prepared stastement as the House met for the day.

"She brought a human touch to the Ministry of External Affairs and was very accessible. She played an effective role in the rescue of many Indians around the world. She was an effective orator and had equal command on both Hindi and English. In her untimely demise, the nation has lost an able administrator, an effective parliamentarian and a true voice of people," he added.

The members observed silence as a mark of respect.

Swaraj breathed her last at the age of 67 here on Tuesday night. She was admitted to All India Institutes of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) following a deterioration in her health.

Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan had accompanied her in the hospital.