Former External Affairs Minister and BJP leader Ms. Sushma Swaraj passed away in New Delhi on August 6, 2019. May her soul rest in peace!

Here are excerpts (translated to English) from a speech that she gave in the Indian Parliament on June 11, 1996:

“Mr. Speaker, our definition of secularism is that a Hindu should be a good Hindu, a Muslim should be a good Muslim, a Sikh should be a good Sikh and a Christian should be a good Christian, and everyone should follow their religions while simultaneously respecting each other…

"I respect Mr. Murasoli Maran but today he said that we are different and you are different, which Indian culture are you speaking of? What is Bharat, Bharatiya and Bharatiyata? (India, Indians and Indian-ness)…

“Mr. Speaker, I want to say to my friend Mr. Murasoli Maran with all due respect, that he doesn't need to go anywhere to understand the meaning of Bharatiyata. Bharatiyata means that from Bhangra to Bharatnatyam, all dances are Indian and belong to India. Bharatiyata means that from Jammu's Rajma Chawal and Punjab's Makki Roti to South's Idli Dosa, all delicacies are Indian delicacies. Bharatiyata means that from Amarnath in the North to Rameshwaram in the South, all pilgrimages are Indian pilgrimages. You ask, what are the aspects of this culture?

“Yes Mr. Speaker, we are communal, because we advocate the singing of Vande Matram, Yes, we are communal, because we fight for the respect of the national flag, we are communal, because we want to abolish the 370 [Article 370 of Indian Constitution granting special status to Kashmir], we are communal, because we want to put an end to discrimination based on caste and creed in this country, yes we are communal, because we want to get the Uniform Civil Code (Saman Nagrik Samhita) implemented in this country.”