Arun Jaitley maintained friendship with leaders from all parties: Kamal Nath

Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath on Saturday paid homage to former Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and said that the BJP leader maintained friendly ties with leaders from all parties.

Jaitley passed away at All India Institute of Medical Sciences today at the age of 66.

"Arun Jaitley started his political career from his student days. When he was in student politics, I was in contact with him. We shared a long friendship. He was a person, who maintained friendship with leaders from all parties," Kamal Nath told media here.

"He made a space for himself in national politics, economics and in the field of law. There are very few people who can achieve this. I pay my homage to him. May his soul rest in peace," he added.

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 )