West Bengal governor mourns Arun Jaitley's death

West Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar on Sunday mourned the death of former Union minister Arun Jaitley and said he has lost a valuable friend, philosopher and guide.

Remembering his first interaction with Jaitley around 40 years ago at the Rajasthan High Court when he had gone there in connection with a case, the governor said the BJP leader's contribution to public life has evoked respect across political spectrum.

"In the death of Arun Jaitley ji, I have lost a valuable friend, guide and philosopher. He was a statesman among politicians and held distinguished positions in the Union Cabinet apart from being Leader of the House in Rajya Sabha and the Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha on different occasions," Dhankhar told PTI at Raj Bhavan here.

He extended his condolences to the bereaved family members of Jaitley who died at the AIIMS, New Delhi, on Saturday.

"We both were designated senior advocates around the same time around 1990 and while I was a member of the ninth Lok Sabha and then a Union minister, he became additional solicitor general. Thereafter his rise in public life has been uninterrupted incremental," Dhankhar added.

The noted Supreme Court lawyer said he had visited the hospital to enquire about his health had spoken to his family members on Monday last.