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India just lost one of its most talented, dedicated, erudite and respected politicians on 24th August 2019, Mr. Arun Jaitley, who held the office of the ministry of finance and corporate affairs during the period 2014 to 2019. This multifaceted personality whose contribution to the Indian economy would be remembered in the years to come has been an active politician since his young age and a part of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). His extent of knowledge can be conjectured from the variety of departments he has served through his political career.
Though finance has been the domain which he considered to be his forte, he was equally flexible and capable of handling profiles as critical as defense and information and broadcasting. Both these departments were a part of his political profile under the Prime Ministerial leadership of Mr. Narendra Modi during the tenure of 2014 to 2019. An attorney by profession, Mr. Arun Jaitley has been a leader of prominence and virtue whom the youth will follow for the times to come.
Mr. Jaitley has proven his excellence and efficiency in situations when the party and the country needed him the most time and again. He has been one of the most reliable advisories of Mr. Atal Bihari Vajpayee who beseeched Jaitley’s wise opinion many a time for troubleshooting. Jaitley, with his practical wit and knowledge of the law, always stood as the shield for the party and the nation and handled the sensible domains like media and public diplomatically. Thus, the party and the country mourn the loss of an able leader as Mr. Arun Jaitley breathed his last in AIIMS on 24th August 2019.
Though Mr. Arun Jaitley has always been a globally recognized name, there remain some facts regarding him which had been under shadow mostly.
Here are some of the lesser-known facts about the veteran leader that would help unveil the real personality of this suave orator.
1. Though his political identity is well known to all of us, it is his personal life that has never received much focus. Mr. Arun Jaitley was born to Ratan Prabha Jaitley and Maharaja Kishen Jaitley on 28th December 1952. He was born in the city of New Delhi and was brought up there as well. Arun Jaitley was one of the three children that the couple had.
2. He got married to Sangeeta Jaitley who was the daughter of the former finance minister of Jammu & Kashmir, Mr. Giridhari Lal Dogra. Together they have two children, Rohan Jaitley, and Sonali Jaitley. Sonali Jaitley is married to Jaiyesh Bakshi. Both, Rohan and Sonali are lawyers by profession much like their father.
3. His wit and capabilities have received much appreciation throughout his political career. However, hardly anyone knows about the school he attended as a young boy where his inherent possibilities get sharpened. It was St. Xavier’s School, New Delhi that holds the pride of having Mr. Arun Jaitley as one of their distinguished alumni. He was the student of St. Xavier’s School, New Delhi during the period, 1960 to 1969.
4. Are you aware of the institution which Mr. Arun Jaitley attended for his higher education? It is one of the most renowned and coveted institutions of the country even today. The famous Shri Ram College of Commerce of New Delhi was the institution that shares the glory of having Arun Jaitley as their graduate alumni member along with the Delhi University from where he pursued his post-graduate degree in Law. Surely, Mr. Arun Jaitley has some of the premium institutes of this country aligned with his identity which designated him his academic credentials.
5. Mr. Arun Jaitley had always been a man of multiple talents. Apart from being a successful lawyer, he held the offices of the union ministry many a time. Some of the portfolios which he had to his credit were Finance Ministry, Information and Broadcasting Ministry, Law and Justice Ministry, etc. For a substantial period of time, when the ruling party was not the party he patronized, Mr. Arun Jaitley acted as the leader of opposition in the parliament. He also served as an elected member of Rajya Sabha for quite a while.
6. Politics is a volatile domain and experiences turmoils now and then. so has been the path for Mr, Arun Jaitley. Perhaps it was the rough tides that made him an efficient sailor. During the time of internal emergency during the period 1975 to 1977, the civil liberties of the citizens ceased to exist. It was also the time when Mr. Arun Jaitley experienced preventive detention and was put behind the bars in Ambala Jail and Tihar Jail respectively. The Loktantrik Yuva Morcha had Mr. Jaitley as its convener in the year 1977.
7. His political career got shaped through topsy-turvy and activities. There was hardly a time when he sat idle and mostly he kept himself engaged in philanthropic activities and social movements that helped him become a seasoned politician and a revered leader. He joined Jan Sangh and also became the President of ABVP from Delhi.
8. Since the independence of India, the country has seldom seen a non-congress government on the ruling chair. It was Mr. Arun Jaitley’s strategic measures and policies that earned the popular vote of India in the year 2014 and BJP won with distinct margins forming a majority government at the center. The overwhelming victory of BJP can be largely attributed to the meticulous moves of Mr. Jaitley that founded a solid ground for BJP to usurp the erstwhile government democratically.
9. Mr. Jaitley was much known for his sports enthusiasm. He has relentlessly been a patron of sports and athletics. He was the president of DDCA for quite a while and also held the prestigious position of the Vice President of BCCI until he resigned in 2014. Hence, a part of his life and career had a direct connection with the sports domain as well.
10. No wonder, a personality as impactful as Mr. Jaitley’s had had several opportunities to represent India in the world forums. One such event was the United Nations General Assembly Sessions where Arun Jaitley represented India and in 198. The issue the session dealt with was the declaration of laws related to money laundering and drug. This was a moment of pride for India and like every other time, Mr. Arun Jaitley successfully added another feather to India’s crown at the global square. With his excellent articulation and measures moves, he became one of the most influential personalities in world politics and an irreplaceable leader for India.
11. Affinity to sports and especially cricket has always remained a much-known fact about Mr. Jaitley. However, did you know who were his favorite cricketers in the Indian team? Virendra Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir are the two players who managed to make their ways into Mr. Jaitley’s heart through their exceptional performances and contribution to the Indian cricket team during the difficult hours. Though Mr. Jaitley was fond of cricket and admired every cricketer who has at least once played for the country, these two players have always been special to him.
12. Though out his political career, Mr. Arun Jaitley has remained dedicated to the party and its policies. Individual establishment was never the propelling force behind his efforts and works. It was not until 2014, that he contested in a direct election against Congress leader Amrinder Singh. Though this seat from Amritsar that he fought for ultimately went under his opponent’s regime, the support he gained and the faith people showed during the campaigns was surely overwhelming and incomparable for any first-time contestant. This election marked the influence of Mr. Arun Jaitley on the mass and his abilities s a great leader.
13. One of his multiple talents was his exceptional command over speech. He had always been known as an excellent orator with the ability to communicate with any peer of mass effortlessly and effectively. This was the quality that made him stand for the industry giants like Pepsico and Coca Cola in India. During the economic liberation, much depended on the companies that entered the domestic markets and the way they were being represented to the mass. Arun Jaitley did the job finely to cast an impression on the public mind and give the economy the impetus to grow.
14. Throughout his political career, Atal Bihari Vajpayee has been the source of inspiration for him. It was under his leadership that Mr. Jaitley matured as a diplomat and assumed the responsibilities to morph the young cadre of BJP into seasoned and matured politicians. As Mr. Vajpayee and LK Advani were aging, BJP wanted fresh leaders to fuel their political progress. Mr. Jaitley undoubtedly played a key role in making the party coherent and organized in its operation to make it strong enough to appear as a national party capable of contesting the ruling party. The overwhelming triumph of BJP in the 2014 Lok Sabha election can be largely contributed to the herculean efforts of Mr. Jaitley who structures the foundation of the party.
15. He was not only a man of fine aptitudes in politics but also a man of excellent abilities in law. After the post-graduated in Law from Delhi University, Law has been his domain of work ever since. Besides managing his political career arduously, he also practiced law in Supreme Court, the apex judicial institution of India that stands for equality, justice, sovereignty and secularism, the pillars of the Indian subcontinent.
16. Mr. Arun Jaitley has always remained as primary support to the party. BJP has always looked upon him as a person to rely on to solve internal issues and political intricacies. His wisdom has always been of much support to the party and the nation. He was the chief strategist of BJP after the demise of Pramod Mahajan and retirement of Atal Bihari Vajpayee. Ever since he has been a man whom the part considered as their hard time support.
17. India has witnessed some of the radical economic changes in the last few years. Demonetization and implementation of GST are the two acts that have changed the face of Indian economy and have set it on the growth path. Both these policies were implemented and executed under the supervision of Mr. Arun Jaitley who made taking these critical decisions easier for the Modi government.
18. Another financial decision that changed the perspective of the union budget was the integration of the railway budget with the general budget. For years, the railways budget was dealt with separation from the general budget. It was under the leadership of Mr. Arun Jaitley that the Modi government took another radical step to unify the two domains and lay a common budget.
19. One of the most critical measures that Mr. Jaitley holds to his credit is the issuance of the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC). Even today, the corporate sector remains under its benefits. IBC attempted to consolidate the bankruptcy law in India that existed in a fragmented way for long. The IBC bill was presented in the Lok Sabha in 2015 nad the same got passed as a law in 2016. This helped in resolving several issues with the companies.
20. One of his landmark achievements in his career has been his appointment as the Additional Solicitor General in 18 and as Senior Advocate in 1990 at Delhi High court. He was the man behind the formation of the Advocates Welfare Fund and Investor Protection Fund. These were some of the works that made him irreplaceable.
21. Another radical move was the 84th amendment of the constitution that suggested freezing of the parliamentary seats till 2026. The amendment was passed in 2002. Mr. Arun Jaitley has been a man of substance and a leader of virtue. He is an icon that the youth will have to follow in the future. Surely, his loss will never be replenished, but the nation shall hold him in its spirit through his unforgettable contributions in India’s progress and economic well being.
