Former finance minister of India, BJP stalwart Arun Jaitley passes away
NEW DELHI, Aug 24: Former finance minister and veteran leader of the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) Arun Jaitley passed away at the age of 66 during treatment at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in South Delhi. It is an end of a remarkable era of service and unquestionable commitment to the party.
He will be missed as he was one of the core members of the first cabinet of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He was also a close friend and aide and played a major role in backing the party in one of its toughest stances of demonetization and the crucial implementation of Goods and Sales Tax (GST) that overhauled the entire financial system of India. His final service for the nation was both as Finance and Defence Minister.
Throughout his life, he has contributed to the good of the nation, from service to the justice system, academic contribution, and most importantly international representation where he was instrumental in approving the Declaration of Laws relating to Drugs and Money Laundering in the United Nations.
Arun Jaitley had suffered from acute renal failure. He had undergone transplants and surgeries but at the same time, he was diabetic which worsened his condition. He was admitted critically on the 9th of August, and since then a specialized team of Doctors was attending him.
His death marks BJP’s second huge loss within a month. They had earlier bid farewell to former minister of external affairs Sushma Swaraj also a party veteran on the 6th of August. Jaitley had a prolonged illness that refrained him from taking any personal responsibilities in the second election where BJP was brought back to power with a thumping majority. Jaitley will be remembered as a man of courage, an able administrator and one who was entirely focused and committed to seeing his party does well.