BHUBANESWAR: Leaders across the political spectrum paid rich tributes to former Minister Arun Jaitley at an all-party ‘Shradhanjali Sabha’ (prayer meeting) organised by the State unit of BJP here on Thursday.
Describing Jaitley as a good friend, Governor Ganeshi Lal said the former Minister lived the life of ‘Ajatshatru’ (a person who has no enemy). Jaitley was the first Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) leader to be elected to the Delhi University Students’ Union in 1974.
“Jaitley was such a talent that he was spotted by none other than Nanaji Deshmukh at a very young age. I had the opportunity to meet him and Nanaji, the great social reformer, at a function where over 300 farmers had come to discuss the ‘Gram Uthhan’ (village development) programme,” said the Governor.
Paying his tribute to the BJP stalwart, Union Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas Dharmendra Pradhan said Jaitley was a friend of Odisha and held Odia people in high esteem for their intellectual capacity.
“I shared a deep personal bond with Jaitleyji. His mentorship steered me through doubts and dilemma and always had a calming influence on me,” he said.
It was Jaitley who allocated funds for Lord Jagannath’s ‘Nabakalebar’ and approved the commemorative coin to mark the occasion. He also sanctioned funds for the commemoration of 200 years of Paika rebellion. In his untimely death, the people of Odisha lost a friend and a well-wisher, Pradhan said.
Speaker of Odisha Legislative Assembly SN Patro said Jaitley’s contribution to the protection of democracy during Emergency is unparalleled. “As a lawyer and a politician, he was among the most influential persons in the national capital,” he said.
BJD leader and former Minister Debi Prasad Mishra described Jaitley as a brilliant student leader, lawyer, politician and an excellent orator. He was one of the sane voices in the country whom everyone liked, he said.
Senior Congress leader Suresh Routray, national BJP vice president Baijayant Panda, national secretary and MP Suresh Pujari, MPs Aparajita Sarangi and Raghunath Mohapatra, BJD MLA Soumya Ranjan Patnaik, former Union Minister Srikant Jena, former MP Kharabela Swain, former minister Bijay Mohapatra and several other leaders were present at the prayer meet.