Former Union finance minister Arun Jaitley will be cremated on Sunday at 4 pm at the Nigambodh Ghat. (Express photo: Renuka Puri) Former Union finance minister Arun Jaitley will be cremated on Sunday at 4 pm at the Nigambodh Ghat. (Express photo: Renuka Puri)

Former finance minister and senior BJP leader Arun Jaitley passed away at Delhi’s AIIMS Saturday after battling multiple health issues for the last several months. Jaitley, 66, was admitted to hospital on August 9 after he complained of palpitations and restlessness. In a brief statement, the hospital said the BJP leader died at 12.07 pm. He is survived by his wife Sangeeta and two children Rohan and Sonali.

Expressing grief over the demise of “a political giant, towering intellectual and legal luminary”, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is in UAE, tweeted, “With the demise of Arun Jaitley Ji, I have lost a valued friend, whom I have had the honour of knowing for decades. His insight on issues and nuanced understanding of matters had very few parallels. We will miss him!” See rare photos from Express archives

The former Union minister will be cremated on Sunday at 4 pm at the Nigambodh Ghat, BJP leader Sudhanshu Mittal said. On Sunday morning at 10 am, his body will be taken to the BJP headquarters from his residence where leaders across the political spectrum are expected to pay their last respects. Read latest news in Malayalam, Tamil, Bangla