New Delhi, August 24: Late Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) veteran Arun Jaitley died on this day, a year ago. His death came as a major jolt to the party, as well as the nation, as he was active in public life till a couple of months before his demise. Under his tenure as the Finance Minister, the nation had adopted the single-biggest taxation reform by switching to the GST mechanism. Here are some key facts to know about Jaitley on his first death anniversary.

  • Arun Jaitley was born on December 28, 1952, in Delhi. He went on to become a lawyer after pursuing LLB course from the Delhi University.

  • Jaitley was politically active during his days as a student, and was also jailed during the period of Emergency.

  • In 1979, Jaitley was appointed as the Delhi-unit president of Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), the students' body linked to the RSS.

  • Jaitley had joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) shortly after its formation in the year 1980.

  • In 1991, Jaitley rose through the party ranks to become a member of the BJP national executive committee.

  • In 1999, then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee picked Jaitley as the Minister for Information & Broadcasting in his government.

  • Between 2000-04, Jaitley served as the Union Law Minister in the Vajpayee government. After the BJP's rout in general elections that followed, Jaitley was seen active in the legal circles as well, continuing his profession as a lawyer.

  • In 2009, the BJP appointed him as Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha. He, along with Sushma Swaraj, were two of the most articulative voices of the party in the Parliament.

  • Jaitley was a top member of the Narendra Modi-led government which was formed in 2014. He was entrusted with the crucial Finance portfolio, but also briefly headed the I&B, Corporate Affairs and Defence Ministries.

  • He stepped from active politics in 2019, after his health condition deteriorated. After the Modi-led BJP was re-elected, he decided not to be a part of the government due to his deteriorating health.

  • On August 24 last year, when the nation was yet to overcome the shock demise of Sushma Swaraj nearly a week earlier, Jaitley breathed his last.

On his demise, leaders cutting across party lines had paid rich tributes. One of the most moving homage was paid by Prime Minister Modi, who said that he has lost a true friend.

"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. He lived well, leaving us all with innumerable happy memories. We will miss him," Modi had said.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Aug 24, 2020 07:00 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).