Venkaiah Naidu breaks down at Arun Jaitley's funeral

Venkaiah Naidu breaks down at Arun Jaitley's funeral. Pic/ANI

New Delhi: Vice-President Venkaiah Naidu broke down while paying floral tributes to late BJP strongman Arun Jaitley as he bid the last goodbye to 'his friend' at Nigambodh Ghat in New Delhi on Sunday. Jaitley's body was brought at the Nigambodh Ghat from the BJP headquarters for the last rites.

The Vice-President could not control his emotions after offering floral tributes. Naidu gathered himself and then covered his face with a handkerchief as he sobbed while bidding adieu to his party colleague. Earlier on Saturday Naidu had expressed condolences over the demise of Jaitley, and termed it a "personal loss". Naidu even cut short his visit to Gudur and Nellore in Andhra Pradesh to fly back to the capital to pay his tributes to Jaitley.

"His death is an irreparable loss for the country and personally to me also. I have no words to express my grief. He was a powerful intellectual, an able administrator and a man of impeccable integrity," Naidu said.

Naidu and Jaitley had shared a long bond which started in their student days. The duo enjoyed a great rapport while serving in the former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee's Cabinet and again in the opposition from 2004-2014 and then again in the first Narendra Modi government.

Also Read: Kailash Colony fondly remembers its most famous resident

Explaining his friendship with Jaitley, Naidu had said, "He [Jaitley] was not my political friend but also my personal friend. We use to discuss on various issued pertaining to the country. We were friends since student days. We both were closed to each others family also. I met him on 11th of this month and he assured that he will become normal soon but I never expected that this end will come in such a short time."

Jaitley who passed away in New Delhi on Saturday at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) was 66-years-old. Naidu, Home Minister Amit Shah and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh were among the many leaders who paid tributes to the former finance minister before the final rites.

Also Read: Arun Jaitley: A political journey

Edited by mid-day online desk with inputs from IANS

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