Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday paid tribute to senior BJP leader Arun Jaitley, who died on Saturday.
“Arun Jaitley Ji was a political giant, towering intellectual and legal luminary. He was an articulate leader who made a lasting contribution to India. His passing away is very saddening,” Modi said.
In a series of tweets, Modi said BJP and Jaitley had an "unbreakable bond."
"With the demise of Arun Jaitley Ji, I have lost a valued friend, whom I have had the honour 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!," Modi wrote on Twitter.
BJP stalwart and former finance minister Jaitley died at AIIMS. He was 66.
Jaitley was admitted to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Delhi on August 9 and was treated by a multi-disciplinary team of senior doctors.
Hospital sources had earlier said he was on life support.
Jaitley, a lawyer by profession, had been a key member of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Cabinet in the BJP government's first term. He held the finance and defence portfolios, and often acted as the chief troubleshooter of the government.
Jaitley did not contest the 2019 Lok Sabha election, because of his ill-health.
In May this year, Jaitley was admitted to AIIMS for treatment.
He had undergone a renal transplant on May 14 last year at AIIMS with Railways Minister Piyush Goyal filling in for him in the finance ministry at that time.
Jaitley, who had stopped attending office since early April last year, was back in the finance ministry on August 23, 2018.
In September 2014, he underwent bariatric surgery to correct the weight he had gained because of a long-standing diabetic condition.
(With inputs from PTI)
