Arun Jaitely, the former finance Minister and a towering figure in BJP, died at AIIMS hospital in New Delhi at 12.07 PM on August 24. He had been in the Cardio-Neuro-Center of the hospital since 9th of this month in a critical condition. During the days, since his admission, there has been no encouraging message from the hospital on his health. He was 66 when he breathed his last at 12.07 PM today.
Jaitely who had taken crucial ministerial portfolios like finance, corporate affairs and defense in the first stint of the Modi government was instrumental in shaping the course of the government.
It was his tenure as the Finance Minister when Prime Minister Narendra Modi took the bold decision like demonetization. He brought India under a one-tax system by introducing GST. More than bringing about these reforms, he played a powerful role in defending the government against attacks from the opposition in the post-reform scenario.
Whenever the Modi government encounters critics with questions on demonetization’s achievement, GST hardships or other financial issues, Jaitely used to lead forth with a solid defense of arguments for his government.
He pushed through Modi government’s economic reforms against resistance from economy bigwigs like Manmohan Singh and P. Chidambaram in the parliament and others outside the parliament. In Rafael issue, it was Jaitley’s counter-attack that neutralized the opposition’s ammunitions.
Jaitely was seen as the trouble-shooter of BJP. On his demise, PM Modi says that he has lost a “valued friend”. In his condolence message on twitter Mr. Modi said, “With the demise of Arun Jaitley Ji, I have lost a valued friend, whom I have had the honor of knowing 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!”
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