BCCI condoles demise of Arun Jaitley

Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Saturday condoled the demise of former finance minister Arun Jaitley after a prolonged illness.

Jaitley, who also served as a BCCI vice-president and Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA) president in the past, passed away today afternoon at All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS).

Expressing its grief over the death of the BJP stalwart at the age of 66, the BCCI tweeted, "BCCI condoles the sad demise of Shri Arun Jaitley. The BCCI shares the pain and grief of the Jaitley family and prays for the departed soul."

People from all walks of life have condoled the death of Jaitley.

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 Modi government in 2014. He opted out of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections citing health reasons.

The former finance minister was admitted to the AIIMS earlier this month after he complained of restlessness. He was placed under observation at the hospital's Cardio-Neuro-Centre.

Several leaders including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and other top BJP and Congress leaders had continued to visit Jaitley who was kept on life-support.

( With inputs from ANI )