He was a mentor and guide to me: Gajendra Singh Shekhawat on Arun Jaitley

Union Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat on Saturday condoled the demise of former Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and said that the senior BJP leader was like a mentor and guide to him.

Jaitley died in Delhi earlier today.

"Not just BJP workers, every person in the country is sad today after the demise of Jaitley ji. It's a big loss to the BJP. May his soul rest in peace. He was a mentor and guide to me. Since 2014 when I went to Delhi, I had always received his guidance. Personally, it's a big loss for me," Shekhawat told media here.

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.