Jaitley’s services would be sorely missed by the BJP and the nation
He was the man who played a quintessential role in the success of the previous Modi government. A man who donned many hats in public as lawyer, politician, and raconteur and cricket administrator, former Finance Minister Arun Jailtley passed away at the age of 66 years, on August 24 after a period of illness.
Though Jaitley had not been part of the current Modi government, apparently for health reasons, his presence in the BJP itself would have helped Modi and Amit Shah at a time when many controversial decisions such as the abrogation of Article 370 abolishing the special status to Jammu & Kashmir have been taken. His demise is a big loss to Modi and Shah as Jatley was the man who had counseled Amit Shah when he was facing a political crisis in Gujarat a few years back during the reins of the UPA government. Jatley was also responsible for bringing Modi to national politics, against the wishes of many in the BJP. Moreover, Jaitley had good relations with many opposition leaders, which made him an ideal troubleshooter for the party.
Jaitley became a prominent figure in Indian politics during the struggle against the Emergency in 1975, when he was elected president of the Delhi University Student’s Union in 1974. He was among the first ones to be arrested and stayed in jail for 19 months for opposing Emergency in the country.
In the Vajpayee government, Jaitley held many important portfolios from 1999, including the key ministries of law and justice, shipping, information and broadcasting and commerce and industry. However, his popularity soared from 2002 when he became BJP spokesperson. His ability to articulate the party line was an indispensable asset for the BJP and the National Democratic Alliance, of which BJP is a part.
No doubt Jaitley’s services would be missed both by his party, the BJP, and the nation as a whole.