Chandrababu Naidu condoles Arun Jaitley's demise, calls it a personal loss

New Delhi: Former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister and Telugu Desam Party (TDP) leader N Chandrababu Naidu on Sunday expressed condolences on former Finance Minister Arun Jaitley's demise.

"It is a personal loss and also a loss to the country. He was a great intellectual and a good statesman. He brought a lot of reforms as Finance Minister," Naidu said.

"I knew him for two and a half decades. He helped Andhra Pradesh a lot. During Vajpayee's time also we worked together, so I had a long association with him. He was a very good parliamentarian," he added.

Naidu had earlier tweeted on Saturday: "Devastated to learn about the passing away of Arun Jaitley Ji. Truly cherish the many years of friendship shared with a humble leader who was also a great statesman. My deepest condolences to his family."

Jaitley passed away in New Delhi at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS). He was 66.

A four-time member of Rajya Sabha, he became a Cabinet minister in the government of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee in 2000. He was Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha from June 2009 to 2014.

Jaitley was Finance and Corporate Affairs minister in the first term of Modi government and also held portfolios of Defence and Information and Broadcasting.