Former finance minister Arun Jaitley was cremated with full State honours on Sunday. Relatives, top leaders from across the political spectrum and scores of his admirers and party workers stood in silent mourning as the 66-year-old BJP stalwart was consigned to flames.
Known for his robust economic and legal reforms, Jaitley leaves behind a legacy of his own. A multi-faceted politician, he rose from his young days as a student leader of ABVP and Jan Sangh to join the young firebrand crop of BJP leaders. And from there he never looked back. A lawyer by profession, an avid blogger and hugely passionate about cricket, Jaitley played diverse roles on the political pitch too. He handled portfolios of Finance, Law, Defence, besides being the BJP general secretary and Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha.
However, his most defining time was as finance minister in the first term of Narendra Modi government. This is where he stamped his authority taking a firm grasp of the political and economic scenario of the country. It was during his tenure as finance minister that he endured the biggest challenges, which no finance minister has probably endured in recent times. The November 2016 demonetisation and his role in the GST rollout will be long remembered, and so will be the expanding of Jan Dhan accounts. Jaitley had his bad moments too. His was hit by a backlash after a controversial move in the 2016 budget to tax withdrawal of employee provident fund. He subsequently withdrew the proposal, much to the relief of the common man. That was the hallmark of a leader who always had his ear to the ground.
Jaitley’s uncanny ability to blend facts with logic and wade through all opposition and public resentment set him apart from others. He had a strong sense of reasoning with a stronghold of the topic he was dealing with. His unassuming calm coupled with a strong fiscal sense was his mantra to win arguments and debates across parties.
A people-friendly face, Jaitley’s charm was in his economic instinct to delicately juggle finances and work towards fiscal consolidation, despite not being an economist himself. In fact, Jaitley walked in to fill the huge boots of P Chidambaram from the Congress regime. His predecessor left behind an imprint and a script that very few would have the gumption to maneouver. And he started off with a bang. He was quoted as saying in the early days of the Modi government that the Budget math that the earlier government was following was completely wrong. He challenged the fiscal figures and he gave an assurance.
Jaitley strived to create a culture of masterful communicators and believed that persuasive skills are the hallmarks of the current-day political leaders. He played a crucial role in BJP’s election management projects and was a top-notch crisis negotiator for his party. Despite being an astute backroom strategist, he commanded respect and had friends across the spectrum. In Jaitley’s death, India has lost one of its finest leaders.
