Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday remembered former Union finance minister Arun Jaitley on the first anniversary of his death for his diligent service to the country and his “wit, intellect, legal acumen”.
“On this day, last year, we lost Shri Arun Jaitley Ji. I miss my friend a lot. Arun Ji diligently served India. His wit, intellect, legal acumen and warm personality were legendary,” the Prime Minister tweeted.
The Prime Minister also tagged a video of his comments during a prayer meeting in his memory.
Modi had mourned Jaitley’s death, saying he has lost a valued friend. He was in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on the second leg of a three-nation visit when the news of the former finance minister came.
Union home minister Amit Shah also tweeted to praise the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) stalwart.
“Remembering Arun Jaitley ji, an outstanding politician, prolific orator and a great human being who had no parallels in Indian polity. He was multifaceted and a friend of friends, who will always be remembered for his towering legacy, transformative vision and devotion to nation,” Shah said.
BJP president JP Nadda also paid his homage to Jaitley on his first death anniversary.
“Salutes to ex-finance minister Shri Arun Jaitley, a brilliant leader, thinker, Padma Bhushan awardee, on his first death anniversary. The unending contribution of his public welfare policies and schemes in nation building will always be remembered,” Jadda tweeted.
Jaitley had died of multiple organ failure at Delhi’s All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) at the age of 66 on August 24, 2019, two weeks after he was admitted to the premier hospital.
Modi had handpicked Jaitley to be the finance minister after the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) swept to power in 2014. Jaitley who had been battling a series of illnesses had asked Modi to exclude him from the government in 2019.
He was the second BJP stalwart to die in less than three weeks after former external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj died on August 6 last year.