Families, helped by Sushma Swaraj, mourn her demise

A pall of gloom descended at Abdul Samad's home in Kadipur area in Uttar Pradesh's Sultanpur district, about 150 kilometres from here, when the family came to know about the sudden demise of senior BJP leader Sushma Swaraj.

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After all, Samad recalls, it was Sushma Swaraj, who as the then foreign minister, had helped rescue his son, who had been held hostage in Borneo, where he had gone in the hope of making an earning and help his poor family.

''Sushmaji patiently heard me and assured me that my son would return home very soon.....my son indeed returned to us two months later,'' he said.

A condolence meeting was held at many 'madrasas' (Islamic Seminaries) to mourn the death of the senior BJP leader. A large number of youths, especially Muslims, go overseas, especially the Gulf nations in search of jobs. Many of them often find themselves trapped there and held hostage.

There are many families in UP, who had received similar help from Sushma Swaraj in getting their members, who were trapped overseas, rescued.

Vishwanath Kumar, a resident of UP's Kanpur town, was also among those, who was rescued by her.

A teary-eyed Vishwanath recalled how he could once again unite with his family with the help of Sushma Swaraj.

Vishwanath, who had been arrested in Malaysia on charges of non-possession of a work visa but working there, said on Wednesday that Sushma Swaraj had personally intervened in the matter and got him released from jail.

She had also helped a Muslim youth, whose application for a passport was rejected the passport officer allegedly as he had married a Hindu girl. Sushma intervened in the matter and got the passport issued to him.