New Delhi, August 27:  Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday met the family members of late former Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley at his residence at his Kailash Colony in Delhi. This is the Prime Minister's first public engagement after returning from the G7 Summit in Paris on Monday night. Union Home Minister Amit Shah and party General Secretary (Organisation) BL Santosh were also present on the occasion. Arun Jaitley Dies at 66: Former Finance Minister Breathes His Last at AIIMS.

The Prime Minister offered floral tributes at his Jaitley's photograph at his house in presence of the late BJP leader's family members. Dressed in a white kurta, the Prime Minister later sat with the bereaved family members, speechless for quite a while, followed by a brief conversations. Arun Jaitley Was PM Narendra Modi's Go-To Man Who Had Friends on Both Sides of the Aisle.

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The Prime Minister shared a long-standing relationship with the late BJP leader. Long before Jaitley joined the Union Cabinet in the last NDA regime, he worked closely with Modi for his re-election as Gujarat chief minister. BJP insiders say, many of the campaign slogans for Modi as CM came from Jaitley.

The deaths of senior BJP leaders this year including Arun Jaitley, Sushma Swaraj and Manohar Parrikar has left a void in the party. Jaitley breathed his last on August 24 at the AIIMS in Delhi after prolonged illness. He had undergone a renal transplant at AIIMS Delhi on May 14. Earlier in September 2014, he underwent a bariatric surgery. Taking to Twitter, PM Modi wrote, "My friend Arun Jaitley loved India, loved his party and loved being among people. It is upsetting and unbelievable that a person I have known since our youth is no longer in our midst."

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Aug 27, 2019 01:06 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).