The last rites of India's former Finance Minister Arun Jaitley will be performed today

The mortal remains of former Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Sunday reached the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) headquarters from his residence in Kailash Colony here for people to pay their tributes.

The BJP stalwart's mortal remains reached the party headquarters in a military vehicle decked with flowers at around 10.58 a.m.

Several BJP leaders and family members accompanied the convoy carrying Jaitley's mortal remains.

Senior party leaders, including Home Minister Amit Shah and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, paid tribute to Jaitley by offering flowers to his body packed in a red colour casket.

Jaitley's mortal remains were kept at the Central Hall of the BJP headquarters where it will be kept till around 2 p.m., and then it will be moved to Nigam Bodh Ghat for the last rites, party sources told IANS.

Jaitley passed away at All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) on Saturday due to a prolonged illness. He was 66.

India’s former Finance Minister Arun Jaitley passed away after sustained illness at the age of 66 after an impressive political career spanning decades when he never won an election but was always relevant and maintained his deep influence in Indian politics. Jaitley, along with the former Foreign Minister, the late Sushma Swaraj -- who passed away earlier this month-- were instrumental in keeping the Bharatiya Janata Party relevant, as an opposition party, in the ten years preceding 2014 when Narendra Modi swept to power as India's Prime Minister.

With inputs from IANS

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