Credibility counts, he told me

Manpreet Singh Badal

The last time I visited the ailing Arun Jaitely shortly after the 2019 election results, I could sense an element of serenity and calmness on his face. For someone who was suffering from a serious ailment, I admired his fortitude and dignity. Jaitely Saab seemed quite content. “I have had great success, and I could not have asked for more,” he told me.

He first tasted success as a student union leader, and then emerged as a successful lawyer. Jaitely served as Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha and later as Finance Minister. He had no regrets, but if there was one wish he had, it was a desire to attend the wedding of his son that was scheduled in November. Unfortunately, that was not to be.

Read also: 

• Sushma’s demise left Jaitley ‘stunned’
  
• In his own words: First to protest Emergency
  
• Friend remembers: ’70s shaped him

During this visit, I also noticed that movers and packers were busy in his house. They were carefully collecting and packing all his stuff as he was moving out of the residence allotted to him as Finance Minister. Not keen to retain the official house, he had informed the government that he was shifting to his private residence. I also noticed that books from his study were among the possessions that were being carefully packed. We used to discuss books whenever we met, and I always took a book or two for him whenever I went to see him. Needless to say, he too reciprocated.

We loved discussing books on Punjab, both pre-Partition and post-Partition, as well as recent works of economists.

Politically, Jaitely had a quality that is gradually declining from public life. He was a great consensus builder. I have no hesitation to say that had it not been for his admirable quality of being a great listener and consummate consensus builder, it would have been difficult to get all states to agree to the GST Bill. His patience was for real, and this was evident in the subsequent GST Council meetings as well.

At the GST Council, Jaitely as Finance Minister created conventions and set precedents that will act as beacon lights for his successors. No agenda item was ever included without consensus. He would never attempt to bulldoze despite his party enjoying a majority. He would instead drop an agenda point, rather than take a vote if the Opposition had objections.

Despite his skills in building consensus and carrying people along, Jaitely continued to be a perfectionist. He could cut through layers of bureaucracy and could see through attempts to delay or set up roadblocks. If he came across as a natural on television with his one-liners and witticisms, he came across as an accomplished administrator while chairing meetings as Finance Minister. At private meetings, he was a Punjabi brother to me.

But more than that — and I say this after nearly two decades of association with Jaitely —  was that his heart used to beat for Punjab and India. Halfway through the GST meeting, he would suddenly start conversing with me in Punjabi, though none of the other state finance ministers were Punjabis. Coming from a family from Lahore, just like Sushma Swaraj, both he and Swaraj represented a generation of post-Partition Punjabis that worked hard and made their mark both in India and across the globe. Unfortunately, we are losing them one by one.

As I was leaving his place, he said something that sums up his political life and acts as a lesson for every student of politics: “There is only one thing that counts in politics, and that is credibility. One should never lose that.” These were his parting words on that hot June afternoon when I last met him.

Arun Jaitley was respected by all across political spectrum: Nitish

He attained great heights in his political life while strictly adhering to values and ideals and was respected by people cutting across political affiliations. I had a personal friendship with Jaitley and am shocked by his death. — Nitish Kumar Bihar Chief minister

Party depended on him to resolve complex issues: Advani

Jaitley was known and respected for his sharp, analytical mind and everyone in the BJP always depended on him for finding solutions to complex issues. He was also someone who valued and nurtured his friendship with people across the political spectrum. Soft-spoken, erudite, warm-hearted person, as a food lover he never failed to recommend good restaurants — LK Advani, Senior BJP leader

Our favourite BJP-ite: Ramesh

Arun Jaitley was every non-BJP person's favourite BJP-ite. He was amongst the sharpest legal and political brains with a great sense of humour and repartee... I once referred to him as Bedi + Pras(anna) + Chandra + Venkat for his extraordinary spinning abilities and he enjoyed it hugely. The GST Council may be amongst his most enduring contributions — Jairam Ramesh, Senior Congress leader

Leader with deep intellect: Pranab

He was a leader with deep intellect and knowledge, and a voice of reason. He will be dearly missed. My prayers with his family, friends and admirers — Pranab Mukherjee, former president