(Image source from: Hindustan Times)

Arun Jaitley, India’s former Minister of Finance and Corporate Affairs, died today after prolonged illness. He was 66.

                       (Image source from: livelaw.in)

Jaitley was rushed to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in New Delhi on 9 August after he complained of breathlessness and restlessness. Since then he was on extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) and intra-aortic balloon pump (IABP) support.

Jaitley, a lawyer by profession, had been a key member of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Cabinet in the Bharatiya Janata Party government's first term. He held the finance and defense portfolios, and often acted as the chief troubleshooter of the government.

Jaitley did not contest the 2019 Lok Sabha election due to his ill-health.

In May this year, Jaitley was admitted to AIIMS for treatment. He had undergone a renal transplant on 14 May last year at AIIMS with Railways minister Piyush Goyal filling in for him in the finance ministry at that time.

In September 2014, he underwent bariatric surgery to set right the weight he had gained owing to a long-term diabetic condition.

Jaitley, who had stopped turning up at office since early April early this year, was back in the finance ministry on 23 August 2018.

By Sowmya Sangam