Arun Jaitley
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A brief biography
August 24, 2019: The Times of India
From: August 24, 2019: The Times of India
Arun Jaitley's politics with a personal touch earned him friends across political spectrum
NEW DELHI: It was January 5, 2018, the last day of a raucous winter session of Parliament which witnessed a slugfest between the BJP and the Congress-led opposition on the triple talaq bill, when a cake was ushered into Arun Jaitley's chamber that evening. It was Congress deputy leader in Rajya Sabha Anand Sharma's birthday.
It reflected how Jaitley pursued his politics with a personal touch. He would vociferously oppose the stands of rival parties, but would never forsake individual niceties, which helped him build bridges and make friends across the political spectrum.
His rapport with opposition leaders was such that during the debate on demonetisation in 2016 in Rajya Sabha, then Samajwadi Party MP Naresh Agarwal in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi had said he did not take even then finance minister Jaitley into confidence.
"If Arunji had known, he would have whispered about it in my ears. He knows me,” Agarwal had said in the House.
The son-in-law of a senior Congress leader from Jammu and Kashmir, Jaitley was among the sharpest legal and political brains with a great sense of humour and repartee.
"I once referred to him as Bedi+Pras(anna)+Chandra+Venkat for his extraordinary spinning abilities and he enjoyed it hugely. The GST Council may be amongst his most enduring contributions," Ramesh said.
Shashi Tharoor, while condoling the demise of Jaitley, said he was his friend and Delhi University senior.
"We first met when he was at DUSU and I was President of St Stephen's College Union. Despite political differences we enjoyed a healthy mutual respect and debated his budget often in Lok Sabha," Tharoor said.
Another friend of Jaitley, senior Congress leader Kapil Sibal said Jaitley was an old friend and a dear colleague who will be remembered for his seminal contributions to the polity and as finance minister of India.
"As Leader of the Opposition he was without match. He always stood steadfastly for his friends and for his party," Sibal said of Jaitley.
When it came to cornering the opposition, Jaitley never hesitated.
During the Congress-led UPA-2 government when a section of BJP leaders in Lok Sabha was hesitant to raise the Robert Vadra land deal issue arguing it would get too personal to Congress president Sonia Gandhi, Jaitley stuck to his guns and mentioned it in Rajya Sabha, where he was then the Leader of Opposition. Vadra is Gandhi's son-in-law.
The BJP later took up the matter.
He was also the go-to man for allies whether it was JD(U) or SAD. It was Jaitley who finally sealed the seat-sharing arrangement for the 2019 Lok Sabha polls in Bihar between all the three allies — the BJP, JD(U) and the LJP.
A brief timeline
August 25, 2019: The Times of India
Down The Decades
1970s | Student Days & Emergency
After completing his schooling from St Xavier’s School in Delhi, he joined SRCC, from where he passed out in 1973 with a bachelor’s degree in commerce
In his college days, he was a member of the R S S-affiliated Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad. In 1974, he became president of the Delhi University Students’ Union. He received his LLB degree from Delhi University in 1977
He was jailed for 19 months during the Emergency years (1975-77). He joined Bharatiya Jana Sangh after his release from jail
1980s | Politician, Husband, Lawyer
He was made president of the youth wing of BJP and secretary of the Delhi unit in 1980
Married Sangeeta, daughter of former J&K finance minister Girdhari Lal Dogra, in 1982
Began practising law in high courts and the Supreme Court in 1987 At the age of 37, he was appointed additional solicitor-general of India by the VP Singh regime. During his tenure, he played a role in putting together the papers leading to the Bofors investigation in 1989
1990s | Senior Advocate, Junior Minister
In 1990, he became a senior advocate in Delhi high court, and in 1991, became a member of BJP His clients included political figures like Sharad Yadav, Madhavrao Scindia and LK Advani. He also represented large corporations like PepsiCo and Coca-Cola Was appointed minister with independent charge of I&B. He was later put in charge of disinvestment, a new ministry, in 1999 when Vajpayee was Prime Minister
2000s | Cabinet Berth, Leader Of Opposition
Elevated to the Cabinet as minister of law, justice and company affairs after Ram Jethmalani resigned in 2000. Also, became the first minister of shipping
In 2003, he was appointed minister of commerce & industry and minister of law & justice
Became BJP general secretary after NDA lost the 2004 polls
In 2009, he was chosen leader of the opposition in RS, after which he stopped practising law
2010s | Mr Finance Minister
In 2014, he first contested an election — and lost – from Amritsar LS constituency, against Capt. Amarinder Singh. He became an RS member from Gujarat and was made finance minister in Modi’s Cabinet
During his term as FM, demonetisation was executed, and GST rolled out
In 2018, he was re-elected to RS from UP
The same year, his health took a turn for the worse. He underwent a kidney transplant at AIIMS
After Modi won a record mandate for the second term, he opted to stay out of government because of his poor health
