Arun Jaitley acted as a crusader against corruption: Amit Shah

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday condoled the demise of former Finance Minister Arun Jaitley. He said that Jaitley acted as a crusader against corruption.

Jaitley passed away at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) here today.

"Arun Jaitley's demise is an unbearable loss to the workers of BJP. As a student leader, he was jailed for 19 months during the emergency. As a Member of Parliament, he always raised the voice of the people and acted as a crusader against corruption," Shah told media here.

"Whenever I faced trouble in my life, Arun Jaitley ji stood by me. Today he is not with us anymore, I pray to the Almighty to give peace to the departed soul and give strength to his family and BJP workers, to cope with this loss," he added.

Earlier in the day, Shah had posted on his Twitter: "Deeply pained by the demise of Arun Jaitley ji. It is like a personal loss for me. I have not only lost a senior party leader but also an important family member who will forever be a guiding light for me."

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

Jaitley first became a Cabinet minister in the government of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee in 2000. He then also went on to serve as the Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha from June 2009.

He was appointed the finance minister in the first term of Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government in 2014. He opted out of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections citing health reasons.