Arun Jaitley, the former finance minister of India and a stalwart of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), has died at the age of 66 on Saturday afternoon after a prolonged illness. Jaitley was admitted to All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in New Delhi on August 9 after he complained of breathlessness and restlessness.
In a statement issued, AIIMS said that Jaitley breathed his last at 12:07 PM. “It is with profound grief that we inform about the sad demise of Shri Arun Jaitley, honourable Member of Parliament and former Finance minister, Government of India, at 12:07 PM on 24th August, 2019,” the hospital said in a statement. BJP leader Sudhanshu Mittal informed that Jaitley will be cremated on Sunday afternoon at the Nigambodh Ghat.
He was unwell for a large part of the last two years, having undergone a kidney transplant surgery in 2018, following which he was placed in isolation. Four years earlier in 2014, Jaitley underwent a bariatric surgery to address the excess weight he had gained due to diabetes. During the Narendra Modi government's first term in office, Arun Jaitley was seen as the prime minister's 'go-to' man. Jaitley was the one to take on the responsibilities of temporarily handling ministries other than his primary portfolio of finance.
As finance minister, Jaitley presented all of the Modi government’s budgets except the 2019 Interim Budget due to his ill health. After the BJP's victory in the 2014 Lok Sabha election, Jaitley wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi requesting that he not be given any responsibilities in the new government as he wanted to focus on his health.
A lawyer by profession, Jaitley was among the leaders who were jailed by the Indira Gandhi government during the state of emergency between 1975 and 1977. He was a student leader at the time. After being released from jail, Jaitley joined active politics as a member of the Jan Sangh and rose through the ranks of the organisation, which later became the BJP.
He also served on the cabinet of former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajapyee. Between 2009 and 2019, when the BJP sat in the Opposition benches, Jaitley served as the Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha. In addition to his wife, Jaitley is succeeded by two children. Meanwhile, top political leaders paid rich tributes to Jaitley. President Ram Nath Kovind, Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah and others condoled the death of the BJP leader.
President Kovind said, “A brilliant lawyer, a seasoned parliamentarian, and a distinguished Minister, he contributed immensely to nation building.” Naidu said that he was deeply shocked to learn about the demise of Jaitley, whom he described as a long time dear friend and one of my closest associates. “His death is an irreparable loss to the nation and a personal loss to me. I have no words to express my grief,” he said.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is in the UAE on an official tour, said that he has lost a valued friend, whom he had known for decades. “His insight on issues and nuanced understanding of matters had very few parallels. He lived well, leaving us all with innumerable happy memories. We will miss him!” Modi said in a series of tweets.