Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will pay tributes to the former Finance Minister on behalf of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is on a three-nation tour.
Union Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan paid respects by laying a wreath on the mortal remains of Arun Jaitley. (Photo: Twitter | @drharshvardhan)
The mortal remains of former Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, who passed away at the AIIMS today afternoon, were taken to his Kailash Colony residence in South Delhi after formalities are completed at the hospital.
The mortals remains of the leader will be kept at his residence till 10 am tomorrow, which will then be taken to the BJP headquarters and kept till 2 pm for people to pay obeisance.
The BJP leader will be cremated on Sunday afternoon at the Nigambodh Ghat.
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Meanwhile, hundreds of people including ministers have gathered at the late leader’s residence to pay their last respects.
Union ministers including Amit Shah, Dr Harsh Vardhan and other leaders paid respects by laying a wreath on the mortal remains of Arun Jaitley.
Jaitley, 66, who breathed his last in AIIMS at 12.07 pm, was undergoing treatment at the hospital for a few weeks.
Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will pay tributes to the former Finance Minister on behalf of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Modi is on a three-nation tour and is currently in UAE for a bilateral visit.
Immediately after the news of the leader’s demise, Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to Arun Jaitley’s wife and son and expressed his condolences. The family insisted that the PM must not cancel his current foreign tour.
Leaders cutting across party lines offered their condolences on the demise of the senior BJP leader.
Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi also condoled Jaitley’s death. “I am personally, deeply saddened by the passing away of Arun Jaitley,” Gogoi told PTI.
Jaitley, who was admitted to the AIIMS on August 9, had been in the hospital’s ICU since then as he was in a critical condition.
A lawyer by profession, Jaitley had been an important part in Narendra Modi’s Cabinet during his first tenure as prime minister. He held the finance and defence portfolios, and often acted as the chief troubleshooter of the government.
Jaitley did not contest the 2019 Lok Sabha elections presumably because of his ill-health.
Arun Jaitley has been suffering from multiple health conditions, including diabetes and high blood pressure.
Earlier this year, Jaitley underwent treatment for soft cell sarcoma, a type of cancer that affects soft tissues of the body, including fat, muscles and blood vessels.
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