New Delhi / Arun Jaitley cremated with full state honours in Delhi

Former finance minister and one of India’s tallest leaders Arun Jaitley was cremated with full state honours on Sunday, with leaders across the political spectrum paying tribute to the BJP stalwart. A key strategist and chief troubleshooter of the BJP and the Narendra Modi government in the first tenure, Jaitley passed away in AIIMS at the age of 66 after battling multiple health issues for the last several months. 

Jaitley was admitted to hospital on August 9 and breathed his last at 12.07pm on Saturday. The urbane and media-savvy leader was one of the sharpest political minds not only within the BJP but also in the larger political spectrum where he made lifelong allies cutting across the ideological divide.

He was perhaps among the BJP bigwigs who made a smooth transition from the Atal-Advani era in the party to the one where Narendra Modi dominated, ushering in the rise of a new generation leaders.

As soon as his death was reported, leaders cutting across party lines paid rich tributes with Prime Minister Modi calling him a "valued friend".

"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!" he said. Modi is currently in the UAE as part of his three-nation tour.

Several top leaders paid homage to Jaitley, with Congress chief Sonia Gandhi saying his contributions to public life will be remembered forever. Jaitley had undergone a renal transplant on May 14 last year at AIIMS, and his health condition gradually worsened, forcing him to take frequent breaks from his work.

Jaitley had been on extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) and intra-aortic balloon pump (IABP) support for the past few days, sources said. He opted out of the second term of the BJP-led NDA government as Modi led the saffron party to a landslide win in May this year.

A lawyer by profession, he was a key member of the first Modi government. He held the finance and defence portfolios, and often acted as the chief troubleshooter of the government.

Jaitley, who had lost the 2014 general election did not contest the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, because of his ill-health. He was serving his fourth straight term in Rajya Sabha, where he entered in 2000 and went on to become the Leader of the Opposition and then the House as the BJP came to power in 2014.

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 had undergone bariatric surgery to shed weight he had gained because of a chronic diabetic condition.