Kamal Nath on Arun Jaitley: Country lost nationalist-progressive leader

MP CM Kamal Nath during the 75th birth anniversary celebrations of former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi, in New Delhi. Pic/PTI

Bhopal: Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath offered his condolences on the death of former union finance minister and BJP stalwart Arun Jaitley on Saturday. Nath said that the country has lost a "nationalist and progressive leader".

Jaitley, 66, who was on life support, breathed his last at 12:07 pm at the AIIMS in Delhi after battling multiple health issues for the last several months. "The country has lost a nationalist and progressive politician in Arun Jaitley. He was a legal luminary and a politician who used to put across his views on national issue frankly.

"I pray to God that his soul rests in peace and to give strength to his family members and citizens to cope with the loss," Nath said in a statement.

Jaitley was often joked on by some of his cabinet colleagues as more friendly with the Opposition than with the treasury bench. Ability to make friends alone didn't make Jaitley the last liberal of BJP. In a party that shuns anything that is construed to be elitist, Arun Jaitley was a regular to one of the most elite morning walk arenas of the national capital - the Lodi Garden.

Also Read: Country has lost an outstanding parliamentarian, says Manmohan Singh

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