How a baby girl in PM Modi’s family came to be named after Sushma Swaraj

<p>
Prime Minister Narendra Modi shared an interesting anecdote on Monday, the 70th birth anniversary of former foreign minister and BJP leader Sushma Swaraj who passed away at the age of 67,  on August 6, 2019, just after the BJP swept to power for its second term.</p>
<p>
In a Facebook post on his way back from the BJP election rally at Jalandhar in Punjab, PM Modi PM Modi paid rich tributes.</p>
<p>
Reminiscing about Sushma Swaraj’s visit to his native village, PM Modi wrote: "It was about 25 years ago, when I used to work as an organiser in the BJP and Sushma ji was on an election tour in Gujarat."</p>
<p>
"She went to my village Vadnagar, and met my mother too. At that time, a daughter was born in our family to my nephew. The astrologers decided on a name after consulting her astrological chart, and the family had accepted the name,” he explained.</p>
<p>
However, after meeting Sushma ji, my mother said that the baby will be called Sushma," PM Modi wrote.</p>
<p>
And the way she pronounced that decision to everyone at that time, I remember till today," he wrote. PM's mother Heeraben Modi is in her 90s.</p>
<p>
Sushma Swaraj, one of the BJP's most loved leaders, died of a cardiac arrest at the age of 67.</p>
<p>
As foreign minister, Ms Swaraj was well known for making direct interventions to help Indians stuck with problems abroad. These included helping to bring back home bodies of dead relatives in difficult situations.</p>
<p>
In fact, PM Modi had in his condolence message, mentioned this "compassionate side" of her character. Apart from her playing a key role in improving India's relations with other countries she had also "helped fellow Indians in distress in any part of the world," he had observed.</p>