'Islam means peace' to 'Pakistan expert in spreading terror': A look at Sushma Swaraj's best speeches

Sushma Swaraj, the former External Affairs Minister and senior BJP leader, who died after suffering a cardiac arrest late Tuesday night, in her lifetime, has been credited for some strong and impactful speeches that left an indelible mark in the history of Indian politics and will be remembered till eternity. The 67-year-old BJP veteran was also known for her no-nonsense approach when it comes to providing assistance to troubled Indians across the globe. From resolving people's visa problems to finding missing people and even helping people reach their destinations safely, Swaraj, the first female chief minister of Delhi, came to the rescue of many time and again.

As political leaders cutting across party lines united to condole the sudden and unexpected demise of the BJP stalwart, here we bring five best speeches of Swaraj, an orator par excellence.

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• In March 2019, Swaraj's opening at the OIC Summit in Abu Dhabi, caught the attention of all present at the conclave and set the tone of her speech. "The fight against terrorism is not a confrontation against any religion. It cannot be. Just as Islam literally means peace, none of the 99 names of Allah mean violence. Similarly, every religion in the world stands for peace, compassion, and brotherhood," the BJP leader said invoking the fact that the "God is one" and "terrorism has no religion".
  
  





• Launching a blistering attack on neighbour Pakistan, Swaraj in 2018 told a meeting of the SAARC foreign ministers that the scourge of terrorism remains the single largest threat to South Asian region’s peace and stability and it is necessary to eliminate the ecosystem of its support. The meeting was held on the margins of the 73rd session of the UN General Assembly.
  
  
• Swaraj, who has been at the forefront in defending the Modi government, in 2017 during a speech in Parliament on India's foreign policy and engagement with strategic partners, said Jawaharlal Nehru earned respect for himself but Narendra Modi earned respect for the nation.
  
  
  
  
• In 2015, when the Lalit Modi issue was at its peak, Swaraj in a hard-hitting reply lashed out at the opposition saying that whatever she did was for humanity. Sushma Swaraj said that this was done to lend a helping hand to treat Lalit Modi’s wife who was suffering from cancer and needed treatment urgently in June, 2015.
  
  
• In 2012, Swaraj had said that not allowing parliament to function is also a form of democracy like any other form. She was reacting to the then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s statement that the BJP’s stalling of parliament was a "negation" of democracy.
  
  
• Same year, while discussion on FDI in multi-brand retail, Swaraj as the leader of the opposition, lashed out at the Congress over not clearing position on FDI. She lashed out at Shiela Dikshit (then CM), Kabil Sibal of the issue.
  
  
• After the 2009 elections, Swaraj in Lok Sabha defended BJP and said that it was not secularism that was the reason for BJP's defeat. She said that the victory of circumstances, not policies. Her speech is one of the best defences of the saffron party in the parliament.
  
  
• Speaking against the no-confidence motion in 1996 at Parliament, Swaraj lashed out at opposition as former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee resigned from his post. She had said that Vajpayee's resignation was the foundation of Ram Rajya. She also gave a mention of the infamous Bofors case and attacked Lalu Yadav, MD Tiwari and several other leaders at the Opposition.