Jaitley's death a big loss for the nation, BJP: Gadkari

Nagpur: The death of former finance minister Arun Jaitley is a big loss for the nation, the government and the BJP, Union minister and former party president Nitin Gadkari said here on Saturday. Jaitley, 66, died at AIIMS in Delhi at 12.07 pm.

He was on life support for the last few days. "I have seen him closely when he started as a student leader of the Vidyarthi Parishad. He was one of the top lawyers in the country who possessed natural argumentative skills," Gadkari told reporters. He said Jaitley had contributed immensely towards the expansion of the BJP.

"I used to take his suggestions on various matters when I was BJP president. He was dedicated to the ideology of the party. His speeches in Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha will be remembered by the people. His death is a loss to the entire nation, the government and the party," he said while paying tributes to Jaitley.