Om Birla mourns Jaitley's demise

Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Sunday paid tributes to former Finance Minister Arun Jaitley.

"He was a shining star of Indian politics. He had given direction to the polity of the nation through his work. He had given socio-political direction to the polity. His loss is irreparable and for me, it is a personal loss," Birla said.

Minister of State for Home Affairs, G Kishen Reddy said that the demise of Jaitley is a great loss to the nation.

"The demise of BJP senior leader and former union minister Arun Jaitley is a great loss to the party, government and to the nation. I met him in 1981 as BJP Yuva Morcha president. I went to him after becoming a minister and took his blessings," he said.

Jaitley passed away in New Delhi at All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS). He was 66.

A four-time member of Rajya Sabha, he became a Cabinet minister in the government of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee in 2000. He was Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha from June 2009 to 2014.

Jaitley was Finance and Corporate Affairs minister in the first term of Modi government and also held portfolios of Defence and Information and Broadcasting.