Arun Jaitley’s demise: He was cremated with full state honour

Special Correspondent (New Delhi): An eminent leader and former finance minister, Arun Jaitley was cremated with full state honor with his body draped in Tricolor, on Sunday. Political leaders and supporters across party lines paid homage. Cremation took place at Delhi’s Nigam Bodh Ghat.

Arun Jaitley had multiple health issues and was admitted to AIIMS on August 9 due to uneasiness and breathlessness. His health failed to revive and he died at 12:07 pm on Saturday. He had lately been diagnosed with soft tissue sarcoma; on account of which he did not take any portfolio in the current government. He also underwent a kidney transplant last year and had bariatric surgery in 2014.

He was an outstanding politician and eminent lawyer with exceptional oratory skills and who used to eloquently put forth his party lines. He had been elected as President of the Delhi University Student’s Union in 1974. He rose to prominence when he was jailed for 19 months in the crackdown during the Emergency in 1975 when many political activists were arrested. He joined BJP in 1980 and held many portfolios in the Vajpayee Ji’s Government as well as   Narendra Modi’s Government. Besides being a spokesperson of the BJP, his contribution was crucial in rolling out GST( Goods and Services Tax) and bringing Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code reform.

Entire BJP leadership was present to pay homage to their important colleague including Vice-President M. Venkaiah Naidu, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and BJP working president J.P. Nadda.

PM Narendra Modi, who was in Bahrain on Saturday said, “ It was upsetting and unbelievable that someone he had known since their youth was no more”.