Former finance minister and BJP stalwart died at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in New Delhi at 12:07 pm on Saturday, the hospital said in a press release.

The statement read: "It is with profound grief that we inform about the sad demise of Shri Arun Jaitley, Hon'ble Member of Parliament & Former Finance Minister, Government of India at 12:07 pm on 24th August, 2019."

"Shri Arun Jaitley was admitted in AIIMS, New Delhi, on 09/08/2019 and was treated by a multidisciplinary team of senior doctors," it further said.

Arun Jaitley, 66, was rushed to the AIIMS on August 9 after he complained of breathlessness and restlessness.

Arun Jaitley was unwell for a large part of the last two years. In 2018, Arun Jaitley underwent a kidney transplant surgery, following which he was put under isolation. Four years earlier, in 2014, Arun Jaitley underwent a bariatric surgery to address the excess weight he had gained due to diabetes.

During the Narendra Modi government's first term in office, Arun Jaitley was seen as the prime minister's 'go-to' man. Jaitley was the one to take on the responsibilities of temporarily handling ministries other than his primary portfolio of finance.

As finance minister, Arun Jaitley presented all of the Narendra Modi government 1.0's budgets. However, due to his ill health, he was unable to present the 2019 Interim Budget, which was instead presented by his colleague Piyush Goyal.

After the Bharatiya Janata Party's victory in the 2014 Lok Sabha election, Arun Jaitley wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi requesting that he not be given any responsibilities in the new government as he wanted to focus on his health.