On the untimely demise of Arun Jaitley on August 24, former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh condoled his death and wrote a letter to Arun Jaitley's family and extended his heartfelt condolences. Conveying that he was sad and shocked at hearing about the passing of Jaitley, Singh wrote that the country "has lost a great leader who always worked for the betterment of society." 

Singh's letter, which was addressed to Jaitley's wife Sangeeta Jaitley, paid tribute to the former Finance Minister and described him as a "an eminent lawyer, an excellent orator, a very good administrator and an outstanding Parliamentarian". Reffering to Jaitley as "our beloved Shri Arun Jaitley", in the letter, the former Prime Minister and Senior Congressmen also conveyed his "heartfelt condolences" to the rest of the family. "We pray to the Almighty to give you the strength to bear this great loss with courage and fortitute", Singh wrote.

READ: Remembering Arun Jaitley: Read his most iconic speeches

Read Manmohan Singh's letter below:

READ: Arun Jaitley passes away: VP Venkaiah Naidu pays tribute to his friend

Congress pays tribute to Arun Jaitley

Reacting to the former Finance Minister's demise, Congress issued a statement stating that they are deeply saddened to hear the passing of Arun Jaitley and that their thoughts and prayers are with his family in this time of grief. Read below:

READ: Arun Jaitley a man of 'convictions & commitments': Anand Mahindra

Congress president Sonia Gandhi also issued a statement on the demise of the former union minister

Congress leader Kapil Sibal also condoled his death saying: "Very sorry to learn that Arun Jaitley is no more . An old friend and a dear colleague will be remembered for his seminal contributions to the polity and as FM of India . As Leader of Opposition he was without match . He always stood steadfastly for his friends and for his party."

Congress leader Shashi Tharoor who was Arun Jaitley's junior at the Delhi University said: 

READ: Arun Jaitley a 'think tank', this is a personal loss: Sumitra Mahajan

Arun Jaitley held several important portfolios

Arun Jaitley’s political career spanned multiple decades and tenures. In the Atal Bihari Vajpayee-led government, Mr Jaitley held the portfolios of Information and Broadcasting while simultaneously holding Independent Charge of the Department of Disinvestment and going on to hold the Ministry of Law, Justice and Company Affairs and then the Ministry of Shipping. In the Narendra Modi-led government, Jaitley came to be a centrepiece and was the Union Minister of Information and Broadcasting, of Corporate Affairs and held the all-important Ministries of Finance and Defence. The veteran BJP politician was also leader of the house in the Rajya Sabha since the Modi government came into office and had been a member of the upper house from Gujarat since 2000.

READ: PM Modi hails 'unbreakable' bond between late Arun Jaitley and BJP