Emotions overwhelm Sushma Swaraj mourners

New Delhi, Aug 7 (IANS) Former External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj's admirers were in tears as her mortal remains made their way from her residence to the BJP headquarters in the heart of the national capital.

It was a short journey but scores of admirers who sprinted along with the vehicle transporting her body ahead of the last rites kept shouting slogans hailing the veteran politician -- and frequently breaking down.

The two slogans chanted most were "Sushmaji amar rahe" and "Jab tak suraj chand rahega, Sushma tera naam rhega".

So shrill was the sloganeering that the sirens in the convoy carrying the BJP leader's body had to get louder to clear the path.

Before the body draped in the national flag was taken out of her residence, where it was kept since her death overnight, a large number of people, neighbours included, thronged the house close to Jantar Mantar monument.

Guided by a police pilot, the convoy included a white Ambassador car followed by the ambulance carrying the mortal remains. Her family was in another vehicle.

A bus at the end carried some of her supporters and close friends.

Many explained why they were drawn to Sushma Swaraj, a long-time parliamentarian.

"She was one of the best MPs we had, a good orator and above all she was a human with a heart of gold," Thirunavukkarusar, a Congress MP from Tamil Nadu, told IANS.

"She will be remembered as one of the tallest leaders in India," he said.

Others spoke about her moral values and the skills to damage control any situation.

"She was always present when the party needed her. She had values and she was affectionate to people," said Raj Kumar Sharma, a BJP worker from Haryana's Ballabgarh area.

Swaraj died of cardiac arrest at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences on Tuesday night.