New Delhi, August 24 : Senior BJP leader and former Finance Minister Arun Jaitley died here at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS). His funeral will take place on Sunday afternoon at Nigambodh Ghat.
Jaitley died in AIIMS on Saturday. He breathed his last at 12:07 noon. After his death, Jaitley’s body has been taken to his residence in Greater Kailash. A large crowd gathered at his residence for the last glimpse of the senior leader. People lined up to pay their respects to their beloved leader. Jaitley’s body will be kept at 10 am on Sunday morning at the BJP headquarters at Pandit Deen Dayal Marg where people will be able to pay their last respects to their leader. Thereafter, the funeral of the departed leader will be done at 2 o’clock in the afternoon at Nigambodh Ghat.
After receiving the news of the demise of the former finance minister, Prime Minister Narendra Modi called from the United Arab Emirates and talked to Jaitley’s wife Sangeeta Jaitley and his children. Jaitley’s family urged Modi not to leave his tour midway. However, Defense Minister Rajnath Singh left Lucknow and Home Minister Amit Shah returned from Hyderabad to Delhi.
It is noteworthy that Jaitley was admitted to AIIMS on August 9 after complaining of breathlessness and discomfort. On May 14 this year, Jaitley underwent a kidney transplant at AIIMS. He then also went to the US for treatment. For the past few months, his health was continuously declining.
Therefore, he refused to contest the election citing poor health in the 2019 general election. He wrote a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi even during the formation of the government and urged that he should not be made a part of the cabinet. He had also renounced the post of Leader of the House in Rajya Sabha. Currently, Jaitley was a member of the Rajya Sabha. He was an important face of the cabinet in the first term of the Modi government. He held important portfolios like Finance and Defence in the Central Government.
