Confirming the senior leader's demise, Protocol Division of AIIMS stated that Jaitley breathed his last on Saturday afternoon.
Senior BJP leader and former Finance Minister, Arun Jaitley passed away today at All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS). He was 66.
Confirming the senior leader's demise, Protocol Division of AIIMS stated that Jaitley breathed his last on Saturday afternoon.
Jaitley was admitted to AIIMS for over a week after he had complained about restlessness and was placed under observation at the hospital's Cardio-Nuero-Centre.
The former Union Minister was a diabetic and had undergone a kidney transplant last year in May. He was also diagnosed of a rare soft tissue sarcoma cancer.
From being an ABVP leader, Leader of Opposition and finally being a Union Minister in the Modi government 1.0, let's take a look at BJP stalwart's political journey.
(With input from ANI)
1. Arun Jaitley was ABVP member during his student years
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Arun Jaitley's first brush with politics came when he became a member of Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) at the Delhi University campus in the seventies and quickly rose through the ranks to become President of the Students Union of Delhi University.
During the emergency period, the student of law from Delhi University was one of the powerful voices of dissent against the Indira Gandhi's clampdown on fundamental rights of people. He was kept under preventive detention during Indira's regime.
2. Cabninet posts held by Jaitley during Vajpayee Government
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Jaitley became the member of the national executive of BJP in 1991.
After the Atal Bihari Vajpayee's Government came to power in 1999, he served as the Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting and Minister of State for Disinvestment.
In July 2000, he took charge as the Union Cabinet Minister of Law, Justice and Company Affairs.
He went on to enjoy several other cabinet posts under the Vajpayee Government.
3. Arun Jaitley (2004-14)
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He was chosen as the Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha on June 3, 2009.
He also contested the Lok Sabha seat for 2014 general election but lost to Indian National Congress (INC) candidate Amarinder Singh.
4. Arun Jaitley served as finance minister in Modi govt 1.0
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In PM Modi-led government from 2014-2019, Arun Jaitley served under several portfolios including as Minister of Finance, the Minister for Corporate Affairs and the Minister of Defence.
During his tenure as the Finance Minister, the government rolled out major Financial policies like the Demonetization and GST.
In 2019, when the BJP government came back to power with a thumping majority, Arun Jaitley requested PM Modi not to assign him any responsibility citing his health condition.
