The Chief Minister of Nagaland, Neiphiu Rio today led others from the state in mourning the demise of the former Union Minister Arun Jaitley, who passed away on August 24. 

Jaitley, 66, died after a prolonged illness at All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) on Saturday and is survived by his wife and two daughters. 

Rio in a condolence message has expressed pain over the demise of and described late Jaitley as a “towering and well known leader of the country” and a staunch National level leader in the BJP who held various posts in the Party.
Throughout his political career, Jaitley held various constitutional offices such as Union Minister with portfolios such as Law, Justice and Company Affairs; Shipping; Finance; Defence etc, served as the leader of opposition in the Rajya Sabha, and an important role in the discussions of the Women Reservation Bill, he stated. 

“He introduced the eighty-fourth amendment to the Constitution of India in 2002 freezing parliamentary seats until 2026 and the Ninety-First Amendment to the Constitution of India in 2004,” Rio added.

“He was known to be a prolific orator and his oratory skills could be best seen when he was the BJP’s national spokesperson,” he said. 

On a personal level, Rio said late Jaitley had a calm demeanor and was always accommodative as well as welcoming and had the admirable quality of being able to reach out to people across political and party lines. 

“In his demise, the country has lost a great, upright leader and a stalwart whose contributions to the building of this nation are immense,” he added.

The Chief Minister, on behalf of the Government of Nagaland, conveyed its condolences to the bereaved family and prayed for the departed soul to rest in peace.

The Deputy Chief Minister and BJP leader Y Patton also expressed pain over the untimely demise and stated that Jaitley’s death “is a big loss for the party and his absence will be deeply felt.” 

The Deputy Chief Minister along with the State BJP legislators further conveyed their deepest condolences to the bereaved family and prayed for the departed soul to find eternal peace. Patton along with State’s Health & Family Welfare Minister Pangnyu Phom; Minister for Social and Water Conservation, Women and Child Development Kashiho Sangtam; and OSD to Deputy CM Rakesh Kumar also paid homage to Jaitley at his resident, in  New Delhi on August 24.
निर्मला जी, इन 33 मंत्रों से नहीं भागेगा मंदी का भूत
 
Meanwhile, many other political leaders from the state took to Twitter to condole the demise. 

The former Chief Minister of Nagaland and leader of opposition, TR Zeliang expressed pain over the demise. 

“After a flourishing career in the field of law, his involvement in the political sphere of the nation was all the more significant. The Nation has lost a great soul and a perfect gentleman,” Zeliang stated in a tweet. 

Temjen Imna Along, Minister of Higher & Technical Education & Tribal Affair and State BJP President also expressed shock over the untimely death. 

Late Jaitley was a leader "with a great visionary, a brilliant lawyer, parliamentarian and a politician and his works will be forever remembered, he tweeted.

Nagaland’s lone Member of Parliament (Lok Sabha) Tokheho Yepthomi has also expressed sadness over the demise and remembered late Jaitley as one of modern India’s most eloquent orator and one of the finest parliamentarians. 

“His demise will leave a void for India’s polity,” he added.