Former Finance Minister Arun Jaitley passed away at 12.07 p.m. on August 24, 2019, at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in New Delhi where he was admitted since August 9. He was 66 and is survived by his wife and two children.
His demise has created a big political vacuum in the ruling BJP ranks and the country has lost a key leader with strong reformist credentials, who understood the social needs of the society while being a champion of economic freedom, economy watchers and political observers. Jaitley’s death comes close on the heels of the demise of another BJP heavyweight, Sushma Swaraj, earlier this month.
Delhi-born Jaitley was a lawyer by profession. His political life and legal career spanned more than 40 years. He was under preventive detention for 19 months during the Emergency in 1975-77, first in the Ambala Jail and then in the Tihar Jail, Delhi.
Mr Jaitley started his journey with the BJP in 1980 after having been an ABVP student activist during his college years.
Appointed the Additional Solicitor General of India in 1990, he was entrusted with the Bofors case. In the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government, he held the portfolios of Commerce and Industry, Law and Justice and Information and Broadcasting. Mr Jaitley was the Leader of the Opposition in Rajya Sabha in 2009 when Manmohan Singh was the Prime Minister.
In the same year, he was elected the Vice President of the BCCI. He made vital contributions in discussions on the Women Reservation Bill and supported the Jan Lokpal Bill. Mr Jaitley was the Union Minister of Finance and Corporate Affairs between 2014 and 2019. He has also served as the Minister of Defence under Narendra Modi.
He was seen as BJP’s go-to man and troubleshooter, given his abundant expertise on the Constitution and the legal system. He had played a critical role in ushering in some significant economic legislation and tax reforms, including the Competition law, Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC) and the Goods and Services Tax (GST).
He was also the Finance Minister when the demonetisation move was announced on November 8, 2016.
The affability of the leader was such that it is often joked in political circles that he had more friends in the Opposition than within his own party. There was no occasion when he got into a bitter argument with the opponent even while being a tough negotiator.
The leader will be remembered by the entire nation for his contributions towards national development. He will be missed dearly by all.
