Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Finance Minister Arun Jaitley. (Sonu Mehta/Hindustan Times via GettyImages)On the day of his first death anniversary, Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi paid respects and homage to former union finance minister Arun Jaitley who was known to have been very close to him, reports news agency ANI.
Jaitley had also handled many other portfolios including Defence under PM Modi's first Government from 2014-19
Recalling Jaitley, PM Modi mentioned him as a 'friend' who he continues to miss a lot. Remembering his contribution, PM Modi shared a video of his speech from Jaitley's prayer meeting from last year and said that Jaitley had served India 'diligently'.
Jaitley was a celebrated legal luminary with a stellar career as a top lawyer in the Supreme Court of India. He had first served as a union minister in former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee's Government. Also, from 2009 to 2014, Jaitley had served as the Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha.
Ridden by major health issues, the BJP leader had opted out of fighting the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. Months later, he passed away and left for his heavenly abode at the age of 66 years on 24 August 2019.
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