Former Union Minister Arun Jaitley passes away at 66

Arun Jaitley in a file picture from AFP

Former finance minister and senior BJP leader Arun Jaitley passed away here at All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS). He was 66. Confirming the senior leader's demise, Aarti Vij, Chairperson, Media and Protocol, AIIMS said, "It is with profound grief that we inform about the sad demise of Former Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, Member of Parliament (MP) at 12:07 p.m. on Saturday. Jaitley was admitted in AIIMS, New Delhi on August 9 and was treated by a multi-disciplinary team of senior doctors."

Jaitley was admitted to the AIIMS earlier this month after he complained of restlessness. He was placed under observation at the hospital's Cardio-Neuro-Centre.

His health had deteriorated on Friday, hospital sources said. Uma Bharti visited the hospital to enquire about his health. On Monday, BJP veteran L K Advani, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat, UP Governor Anandiben Patel, Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi, Delhi LG Anil Baijal and BJP lawmaker Maneka Gandhi visited the hospital to know about Jaitley's health.

Jaitley, 66, was rushed to All India Institute of Medical Sciences on August 9 after he complained of breathlessness and restlessness. Hospital sources on Tuesday said he is on life support.

Several prominent leaders, including Union ministers Rajnath Singh, Smriti Irani, Jitendra Singh and Ram Vilas Paswan, President Ram Nath Kovind, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal, Congress's Abhishek Singhvi and Jyotiraditya Scindia and RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat have visited the hospital in recent days to enquire about Jaitley's health and meet his family members.

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, presumably because of his ill-health.

Also Read: Arun Jaitley health: L K Advani, Anandiben Patel visit AIIMS

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.

Catch up on all the latest Crime, National, International and Hatke news here. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates