Sushma Swaraj Love Story With Husband Swaraj Kaushal

Hyderabad: India lost its most loved leader Sushma Swaraj on Tuesday. As a fondly remembered External Affairs Minister in the Modi 1.0 government, Sushma Swaraj's love story is an equally fascinating one.

Sushma and her lawyer husband Swaraj Kaushal were married for 44 years. They have a daughter whom they named Bansuri. Interestingly, Sushma chose to use her husband's name as her surname rather than his last name.

The two met while they were studying in law in the same college in New Delhi. They were of opposing ideologies, while Sushma was inclined with the RSS ideologue, Swaraj Kaushal was a socialist.

But the duo worked together as part of a team of lawyers during Emergency when socialist leader George Fernandes was arrested in 1975.

Sushma recounted that the couple pondered on their marriage after law professor and later Chief Justice of India A.S Anand suggested that they get married after they were travelling in Mumbai together.

The two got married in the height of Emergency on July 13, 1975.

When Sushma Swaraj quit active politics, Swaraj wrote in a series of tweets which was an internet hit.

"Madam (Sushma Swaraj) - Thank you very much for your decision not to contest any more elections. I remember there came a time when even Milkha Singh stopped running," Swaraj Kaushal said in a series of tweets. "This marathon has been on since 1977 - that is 41 years. You have contested 11 direct elections. In fact, you contested all elections held since 1977 except twice when the party did not allow you to contest in 1991 and 2004."

"You are contesting elections since you were 25 -- and fighting elections for 41 years is quite a marathon."

"I am also running behind you for the last 47 years. I am no longer a 19 years old. Please - I am also running out of breath. Thank you."

In fact, another incident of the couple showed that their story was one of deep commitment and respect.

In 2018, when Sushma Swaraj was attacked by internet trolls for helping a Muslim couple get their passports, Swaraj Kaushal had jumped to her defence.

A troll had asked Kaushal to beat his wife "when she comes home" and "teach her not to do Muslim appeasement" as "Muslims never vote for the BJP".

Swaraj said that he was deeply pained by the unsavoury comments as the comment came when Sushma was hospitalised. Read what he said.

"Your words have given us unbearable pain. Just to share with you, my mother died of cancer in 1993. Sushma was an MP and a former Education Minister. She lived in the hospital for a year. She refused to engage a medical attendant and attended on my dying mother personally," Kaushal said in his reply to the troll.

"Such was her devotion to the family. As per my father's wish, she lit my father's pyre. We adore her. Please do not use such words for her. We are first generation in law and politics. We pray for nothing more than her life. Pls convey my profound regards to your wife."

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