Himachal Pradesh Governor Kalraj Mishra and Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur on Saturday expressed their grief over the sad demise of former Finance Minister and senior BJP leader Arun Jaitley.
The Governor said that Jaitley was an intellectual and determined leader, excellent administrator and a political giant who made a lasting contribution to the country, read a statement issued from the Raj Bhawan.
Jaitley will always be remembered for his visionary leadership and his services to the country, Mishra stated, adding that as a Finance Minister, he took several important decisions for the welfare of the people of the country.
The Governor has prayed for the peace of the departed soul and expressed his sympathies with the bereaved family members.
In his condolence message, Chief Minister Thakur said that Arun Jaitley served the nation in several capacities and was an asset to the government and the party orgsation.
He said the knowledge and articulation won him several friends. It was during his tenure as Finance Minister that the nation took bold decisions like demonetisation and the implementation of GST.
Thakur said that Jaitley was a powerful orator and for many years he was the BJP's lead speaker in the Rajya Sabha.
"I am deeply saddened by the untimely demise of Arun Jaitley and have no words to describe the sense of grief and sadness," said that Chief Minister.
He prayed to the almighty to grant peace to the departed soul and strength to the bereaved family members to bear this irreparable loss.
The members of the State Cabinet Mahender Singh, Suresh Bhardwaj, Sarveen Chaudhary, Ram Lal Markanda, Vipin Singh Parmar, Virender Kanwar, Bikram Singh, Govind Singh Thakur, and Rajiv Saijal have also expressed their deep condolences on the demise of Jaitley.
Jaitley was admitted to the AIIMS in New Delhi earlier this month after he complained of restlessness. He was placed under observation at the hospital's Cardio-Neuro-Centre.
Jaitley first became a Cabinet minister in the government of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee in 2000. He then also went on to serve as the Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha from June 2009.
He was appointed the finance minister in the first term of Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government in 2014. He opted out of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections citing health reasons.
( With inputs from ANI )