GN Azad pays homage to Jaitley in Rajya Sabha, recalls personal bond

New Delhi [India], Nov 18 (ANI): Senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad on Monday paid homage to former finance minister Arun Jaitley in the Rajya Sabha and said that the demise of the BJP stalwart is a loss to the entire country.
"The demise of people like Jaitley ji is not a loss to a party alone but the entire country. I pray that his soul rests in peace," Azad said in the Rajya Sabha recalling his bond with Jaitley.
"I had known Arun Jaitley personally. The rare political sourness between us used to turn into sweetness due to our personal relations. From his student life till his death, his life remained very active. He was a good student, good orator, and a good leader," he said.
The winter session of Parliament began today with obituary references to former Union ministers Arun Jaitley, Ram Jethmalan and Sushma Swaraj.
The former finance minister passed away at All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in August. He was 66.

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 Modi government in 2014. He opted out of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections citing health reasons. (ANI)