Miss my friend a lot: PM Modi on Arun Jaitley's death anniversary
New Delhi: The BJP paid rich tributes to party stalwart Arun Jaitley on his first death anniversary on Monday, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi saying that he misses his friend a lot and that his late Cabinet colleague diligently served India.
Top BJP leaders, including Home Minister Amit Shah, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and party president J P Nadda, fondly remembered Jaitley, who was the voice of the party on various issues for decades and was seen as its main trouble shooter.
The prime minister tweeted, "On this day, last year, we lost Shri Arun Jaitley Ji. I miss my friend a lot. Arun Ji diligently served India. His wit, intellect, legal acumen and warm personality were legendary. Here is what I had said during a prayer meeting in his memory."
He posted a video of his speech at the condolence meeting held here for Jaitley last year.
Remembering Jaitley, Shah said he was an outstanding politician, prolific orator and a great human being who had "no parallels" in Indian polity.
He was multifaceted and a friend of friends, who will always be remembered for his towering legacy, transformative vision and devotion to the nation, the former BJP president added.
Nadda said Jaitley's huge contribution in nation-building will always be remembered.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh tweeted, "Remembering Arun Jaitley ji on his punyatithi. Jaitleyji was a stalwart who made a big contribution towards BJP's growth and rise to power."
"He made a mark as a successful lawyer, seasoned parliamentarian and effective administrator. I offer my heartfelt tributes to him," Singh said.
A key BJP leader and a crucial member of the party's brain trust for decades, Jaitley was an articulate champion of the saffron party's policies and ideology, and his warm personality and affable manners won him friends across the political spectrum.
He served as the Union finance minister in the first Modi government and wore many hats in public life, from that of a lawyer to a politician and a cricket administrator. He died at 66 years of age last year after battling prolonged illness.
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Rickelton's ton in vain as SRH beat MI by 6 wickets
Mumbai (PTI): Ryan Rickelton's whirlwind unbeaten ton was overshadowed by Heinrich Klaasen's unbeaten 65 as Sunrisers Hyderabad defeated Mumbai Indians by six wickets in an IPL match here on Wednesday.
Chasing an imposing 244-run target, Travis Head (76 off 30) and Abhishek Sharma (45 off 24) shared 129 runs for the opening wicket to set the platform for SRH.
Klaasen (65 not out off 30 balls) then displayed his all-round hitting abilities to guide SRH home with the help of Nitish Kumar Reddy (21) and Salil Arora (30 not out off 10) in 18.4 overs.
Earlier, Rickelton's knock powered MI to 243 for five.
MI rode on a 93-run stand between Rickelton (123 not out off 55 balls) and Will Jacks (46 off 22) in 7.1 overs for the opening stand to power the side.
MI skipper Hardik Pandya scored a valuable 31 off 15 balls before being dismissed.
Praful Hinge (2/54), Eshan Malinga (1/29), Sakib Hasan (1/39) and Nitish Kumar Reddy (1/31) were the wicket-takers for SRH.
Brief Scores:
Mumbai Indian: 243 for 5 in 20 overs (Ryan Rickelton 123 not out; Praful Hinge 2/54).
Sunrisers Hyderabad: 249 for 4 in 18.4 overs (Travis Head 76, Heinrich Klaasen 65 not out; AM Ghazanfar 2/51).
