Left parties express grief over Jaitley's demise

The Left parties on Saturday expressed grief over the demise of former Union minister Arun Jaitley and said he would be remembered by all.

Jaitley died earlier in the day at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences here. He was admitted to the hospital on August 9.

"Very sad news about Shri Arun Jaitley's passing. Heartfelt condolences to his family. We have known each other for over four decades from our student days until our time in Parliament," Communist Party of India (Marxist) general secretary, Sitaram Yechury, said in a tweet.

The Communist Party of India (CPI) hailed the former finance minister as one of the "best parliamentarians".

"The National Secretariat of the Communist Party of India expresses its sorrow at the passing away of former finance minister and eminent lawyer Shri Arun Jaitley who was one of the respected political leaders and best parliamentarians. He had started his political career as a student leader," the party said in a statement.

"He will be remembered as an articulate speaker in Rajya Sabha who impressed all with his skills and knowledge," it said.