PM Modi meets Arun Jaitley's family, pays tributes
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday visited Late Arun Jaitley's residence. He paid tributes to the former finance minister and met his family members. Home Minister Amit Shah also accompanied PM Modi.
Arun Jaitley breathed his last at Delhi's AIIMS on Saturday. He was 66.
PM Modi meets Arun Jaitley's family, pays tributes
The Prime Minister could not attend the funeral of the former finance minister as he was away from the country on a three-nation visit to France-UAE-Bahrain. He had, however, spoken to Jaitley's family following the news of his demise and expressed his condolences.
PM Modi, who was in Bahrain when Jaitley passed away, paid his tributes during an address to the Indian community.
PM Modi meets Arun Jaitley's family, pays tributes
Modi described Arun Jaitley as a "valued friend" whose insights and nuanced understanding of matters had "very few parallels" as he condoled the death of the senior BJP leader who was one of his close confidants for decades.
"I can't imagine that I am so far here while my friend has gone away. Some days ago, we lost our former External Affairs Minister Behen Sushma Ji. Today my friend Arun passed away," he said.
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A four time member of Rajya Sabha, Jaitley became a Cabinet minister in the government of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee in 2000. He was Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha from June 2009 to 2014.
Jaitley was Finance and Corporate Affairs minister in the first term of Modi government and also held portfolios of Defence and Information and Broadcasting.
