Former Finance Minister Arun Jaitley passes away at 66
Arun Jaitley was rushed to AIIMS on August 9 after he complained of breathlessness and restlessness, and was undergoing treatment here for weeks.
Former Union minister Arun Jaitley died at AIIMS on Saturday, the hospital announced. Jaitley, 66, was undergoing treatment at the hospital for several weeks.
"It is with profound grief that we inform about the sad demise of Arun Jaitley," the AIIMS said in a brief statement.
Jaitley was rushed to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences here on August 9 after he complained of breathlessness and restlessness.
It was reported yesterday that the health of the former finance minister, who was admitted to AIIMS, deteriorated further, hospital sources said. Sources also added that the minister was on life support since Tuesday.
A multidisciplinary team of doctors were monitoring his condition.
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. 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.
He had stopped attending office since early April last year and 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.
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.
This week, 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 also visited the hospital to know about Jaitley's health.
(Edited by Saheli Sen Gupta)
