From IIT to LeT: Top quotes by Sushma Swaraj

New Delhi, Aug 07: Veteran politician Sushma Swaraj passed away on Tuesday night following a heart attack. She was a a great statesman, eloquent orator, efficient administrator, fellow parliamentarian and above all a kind hearted person.

Swaraj who had earned a formidable reputation in helping overseas Indians in distress is also known for her fierce speeches against the opposition.

She has created a niche for herself despite being one of the very few females in the current male dominated cabinet and we only adore her for achieving so.

On article 370

"We are called communal because we want to abolish Article 370. We are communal because we want to end discrimination based on caste and creed in the country. Mr Speaker, we are communal because we want the voices of the Kashmiri refugees to be heard," she had said in Parliament.

On Woman empowerment

"We have known IT professionals who hand over their salaries to their mothers-in-law or others who are abused. But a lady police officer's women peon may not have to face all this as troubling her can lead the culprit to jail. This is political empowerment. For us women in politics, our authority moves forward to our women workers and empowers them," she said once.

"Both education and economic independence are important but political empowerment is a higher form of empowerment."

On terrorism

Talks with terror cannot happen, but talks on terror are desirable.

We set up IITs, IIMs, AIIMS and ISRO. What did Pakistan make? They set up Lashkar-e-Taiba, Jaish-e-Mohammed, Haqqani Network, Hizbul Mujahiddeen.

We are fighting poverty, but our neighbouring state Pakistan is fighting against us.

India believes that the whole world is one family. So we believe the UN should run on the principles of a family. A family runs on love not on jealously. In UN, we cannot say I, me or mine, it is us, we, and ours. We should keep every country's goals in mind.

Swaraj's speech at OIC

I stand here as a representative of a land, that has been for ages a fountain of knowledge, a beacon of peace, a source of faiths and traditions, and home to religions from the world & now, one of the major economies of the world.

I carry the greetings of 1.3 billion Indians, including more than 185 million Muslim brothers and sisters. Our Muslims brothers and sisters are a microcosm of the diversity of India itself.