Former Finance Minister Arun Jaitley passed away on Saturday on August 24, 2019. He had been admitted to AIIMS, in New Delhi on August 9, 2019. He had been Finance Minister in PM Narendra Modi's cabinet during Prime Minister's first term. He had decided to t join PM Modi's cabinet in his second term citing health grounds.

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Arun Jaitley as Union Minister in PM Modi's cabinet

former Finance Minister was active in politics since his student days. senior BJP leader in his youth was a member of ABVP, and served as President of Delhi University Students Union in 1974. Like a number of his contemporaries in BJP, Arun Jaitley was put under preventive custody for fighting Emergency as part of JP movement, clampdown on him lasting 19 months. He rose to become president of Delhi ABVP and its All India Secretary, He became president of youth wing of Jan Sangh which he had joined later.

Arun Jaitley later went on to become one of BJP’s senior-most leaders and played a crucial role in Prime Minister Modi's cabinet during his first tenure.   Former Union Minister had many accomplishments to his name-- he t only held all important portfolios of Union Finance Minister and Defence Minister in Narendra Modi’s first term at Centre, but was also leader of house in Rajya Sabha for Narendra Modi Government.

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Senior BJP leader held several important portfolios

Arun Jaitley’s political career spanned multiple decades and tenures. In Atal Bihari Vajpayee-led government, Mr Jaitley held portfolios of Information and Broadcasting while simultaneously holding Independent Charge of Department of Disinvestment and going on to hold Ministry of Law, Justice and Company Affairs and n Ministry of Shipping. In Narendra Modi-led government, Jaitley came to be a centrepiece and was Union Minister of Information and Broadcasting, of Corporate Affairs and held all-important Ministries of Finance and Defence. veteran BJP politician was also leader of house in Rajya Sabha since Modi government came into office and had been a member of upper house from Gujarat since 2000. It was Jaitley who rolled out GST in 2017 which saw India becoming a unified market for goods and services for first time, and was also first chairman of GST council, being widely credited for forging consensus leading to Constitutional amendment that eventually passed GST Bill.

READ | Former Union Minister Arun Jaitley Passes Away At AIIMS In New Delhi