Arun Jaitley, former Finance minister and veteran BJP leader passed away on 24th August, 2019 at AIIMS Hospital in New Delhi. He was 66. He was rushed to AIIMS on 9th August, 2019 after he complained breathless and restlessness. Since then he was under observation at cardio-neuro-center in the hospital but his health condition kept deteriorating. On Sunday, he took his last breath at 12:07 pm. In a statement, spokesperson of AIIMS said that Jaitley was on the life support system since a week and had been suffering from various ailments. He was being treated by a multidisciplinary team of senior doctors. Arun Jaitley was suffering from the prolonged illness
Lawyer by profession, Arun Jaitley was a prominent face in Modi’s government. He was included in the Atal Bihar’s government’s cabinet. Between 2009 and 2014, he sat in the opposition in Rajya Sabha. Arun Jaitley was ill since the past two years. In 2014, he underwent Bariatric surgery to address his weight gain after diabetes. In 2018, he underwent kidney transplant surgery. After these surgeries, he has been suffering from multiple organ illnesses that kept his health deteriorated. During the first tenure of Modi’s government, he presented the budget as the then Finance Minister of India however during the second term Piyush Goyal presented the budget on his behalf.
Condolence messages from the politicians After the death of ex-finance minister, condolence messages from political leaders of various parties have started to pour in. PM Modi said on Twitter, “With the demise of Arun Jaitley Ji, I have lost a valued friend, whom I have had the honour of knowing for decades. His insight on issues and nuanced understanding of matters had very few parallels”. West Bengal CM Mamta Banerjee said on a tweet, “An outstanding Parliamentarian and a brilliant lawyer, appreciated across parties. His contribution to Indian polity will be remembered. My condolences to his wife, children, friends and admirers,”. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Arun Jaitley’s death said that BJP will miss his presence. Soon after the news of Arun Jaitely came, condolence messages on Twitter started to pour in.