Swaraj told Naidu, don't come to my house!

Vice President M Venkaih Naidu always went to Sushma Swaraj's residence to celebrate Rakshabandhan, the festival to celebrate the bond between sisters and brothers, but once she told him, you should not come from now on.

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It was not because she fell out with Naidu but he became the Vice President of the country and it was not proper for him to visit her.

"We shared a very close relationship. Every year on the occasion of Rakshabandhan, she used to tie 'rakhi'. I used to go to her home to celebrate the festival. But when I became the Vice President, she told me you should not come. She said instead I will come to your residence," he said.

Swaraj came and tied 'rakhi' last time too. "I would be missing this honour this year. I have lost a valuable sister," Naidu said in Rajya Sabha.

He said she brought a human touch to the Ministry of External Affairs by being at the forefront of rescuing Indians in distress across the globe. She had come to be known as the most accessible Minister, which speaks of her concern and commitment to the people.

"Destiny has snatched an assuring and contagious smile from our midst," Naidu remembered her in his obituary reference in the Upper House on Wednesday.

Describing her death as a "personal loss" to him, he said she was like "my sister who always addressed me as 'Anna' (elder brother). She was a regular at family and cultural events at my residence for a long time".