Ex finance minister of India Arun Jaitley passes away

Senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and India’s former Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, died at Delhi’s All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) today. He was 68.

Jaitley was admitted to the AIIMS on August 9 after he complained of uneasiness.

The AIIMS’ Media and Protocol Division said in a statement, “It is with profound grief that we inform about the sad demise of Shri Arun Jaitley, Hon’ble Member of Parliament and Former Finance Minister, Government of India at 12:07pm on August 24, 2019.

Jaitley, one of the key figures of the party, was admitted in the AIIMS on August 9 and was treated by a multidisciplinary team of senior doctors, the statement signed by the Chairperson of Media and Protocol Division said.

An ailing Jaitley had opted out of the government citing poor health when the second BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi took oath on May 30.

Jaitley has had a history of medical issues, including diabetes and kidney failure. He underwent a kidney transplant last year in May and a bariatric surgery in September 2014.

He is the second senior BJP leader after Sushma Swaraj, former Foreign Minister, to have died this month.  

Jaitley, known for his intelligence, political insight, and brilliant communication skills, was among the first to realize the potential of Narendra Modi in the BJP and the two stayed together through thick and thin. After becoming the PM in 2014, Modi handed over the finance, defence and corporate affairs portfolios to Jaitley at different points of time.

He had been the Rajya Sabha member a number of times and was defeated in the directly-contested Lok Sabha polls in 2014 from Amritsar constituency in Punjab.

Source: thedailystar