Arun Jaitley's demise a huge loss to Indian politics: Mulayam Singh Yadav

Samajwadi Party (SP) patron Mulayam Singh Yadav on Saturday said that the demise of former union minister Arun Jaitley is a huge loss to Indian politics.

Issuing a statement, former Uttar Pradesh chief minister called Jaitley a "perfect orator and a scholar of law".

He said, "Arun Jaitley's demise is a huge loss to Indian politics. He was a perfect orator, a scholar of law and famous advocate. He has left his imprint in many ministries including Finance and Defence. Despite being in the Opposition party, he was a close friend of ours. He will be remembered for a long time."

Jaitley passed away today afternoon at AIIMS in New Delhi due to prolonged illness.

The former finance minister was admitted to the AIIMS earlier this month after he complained of restlessness. Jaitley was placed under observation at the hospital's Cardio-Neuro-Centre.

Several leaders including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and other top BJP and Congress leaders had continued to visit Jaitley who was kept on life-support.

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 Modi government in 2014. He opted out of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections citing health reasons.