India’s former finance minister Arun Jaitley passes away at 66

BJP leader was on life support at a New Delhi hospital following complaints of breathlessness

Former Indian finance minister Arun Jaitley passed away on Saturday at a local hospital in New Delhi after days of prolonged illness. He was 66.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader was brought in to All India Institute Medical Sciences (AIIMS) on August 9. Jaitley had been put on life support and was being monitored by a multidisciplinary team of doctors, an Indian media report quoted sources as saying.

PHOTO: TWITTER

Jaitley, a lawyer by profession, had been an important part in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's cabinet in the BJP government's first term.

He was also reportedly the architect of the abrogation of Article 370.

The BJP leader held the finance and defence portfolios, and often acted as the chief troubleshooter of the government.

Full of life, blessed with wit, a great sense of humour and charisma, Arun Jaitley Ji was admired by people across all sections of society. He was multi-faceted, having impeccable knowledge about India’s Constitution, history, public policy, governance and administration.

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) August 24, 2019

Jaitley did not contest the 2019 Lok Sabha election presumably because of his ill-health.

He had undergone a kidney transplant on May 14 last year.

Jaitley, who had stopped attending office since early April last year, was back in the finance ministry on August 23, 2018.

Deeply anguished by the demise of my friend and an extremely valued colleague Shri Arun Jaitley ji. He was a proficient lawyer by profession and an efficient politician by passion.

— Rajnath Singh (@rajnathsingh) August 24, 2019

In September 2014, he underwent bariatric surgery to correct the weight he had gained because of a long-standing diabetic condition.

 

This story originally appeared on NDTV.