'Arun Jaitley was a political giant, towering intellectual and legal luminary': Modi pays rich tribute to 'Emergency hero'  

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday described Arun Jaitley, who passed away on Saturday after a prolonged illness, as a political giant, towering intellectual and legal luminary.

''Arun Jaitley Ji was a political giant, towering intellectual and legal luminary. He was an articulate leader who made a lasting contribution to India. His passing away is very saddening. Spoke to his wife Sangeeta Ji as well as son Rohan, and expressed condolences. Om Shanti,'' tweeted Modi minutes after Jaitley breathed his last.

Modi, who is on a three-nation tour of France, UAE and Bahrain, was full of praise for Jaitley who, he said, was full of life blessed with wit, a great sense of humour and charisma. 

''Full of life, blessed with wit, a great sense of humour and charisma, Arun Jaitley Ji was admired by people across all sections of society. He was multi-faceted, having impeccable knowledge about India’s Constitution, history, public policy, governance and administration,'' he said in another tweet.

During his long political career, Arun Jaitley Ji held multiple ministerial responsibilities, which enabled him to contribute towards India’s economic growth, strengthening our defence capabilities, creating people-friendly laws and enhancing trade with other nations, Modi added.

BJP and Arun Jaitley Ji had an unbreakable bond, Modi said.

''As a fiery student leader, he was at forefront of protecting our democracy during the Emergency. He became a much-liked face of our Party, who could articulate the Party programmes and ideology to a wide spectrum of society,'' Modi added.