Late Arun Jaitley may not be physically present any longer. However, his presence is still being felt in the Centre due to the leaders he mentored. The recent cabinet overhaul, in fact, immortalises Arun Jaitley. When he was around, the BJP had an unprecedented edge over opposition forces – especially in terms of setting the narrative. An master orator, Arun Jaitley made sure that all knives which the opposition pulled out against the BJP were turned blunt. His demise was a very big setback for the BJP, and his physical absence pinches the party and its supporters to this very day.
For the BJP, Arun Jaitley was like Rahul Dravid. Like Dravid, Jaitley mentored an entire generation of impeccable leaders. Today, his proteges are among the most important, most efficient and most responsible ministers in the Modi cabinet and council of ministers. Arun Jaitley knew that a generational change was staring the BJP in the face. Like the BJP handed over the reins from the Advani-Vajpayee generation to the Modi-Shah one, Jaitley knew that after Narendra Modi, Amit Shah, Rajnath Singh and even Ravi Shankar Prasad and Prakash Javadekar, a new set of BJP leaders needed to be moulded for the future. And he took this task upon himself.
For the cancer patient, time was of the essence. Arun Jaitley mentored the likes of Nirmala Sitharaman, Piyush Goyal, Dharmendra Pradhan and others. Today, these ministers hold some of the most important and consequential portfolios. Additionally, these are all ministers who are favoured by Prime Minister Narendra Modi himself, and from them, Arun Jaitley is still reflected. Arun Jaitley was a dear friend of PM Modi, and as such, his proteges connect with the Prime Minister like very few usually do.
When Goyal handed over the keys of the ministry to his successor RK Singh, the process of electrifying every village had been completed. Under his leadership, coal allocation through the e-auction method was working seamlessly and power generation had grown to record highs. The fate of the Railways was also turned around by Piyush Goyal in a similar fashion. Indian Railways was the symbol of Indian lethargy previously. Now, it is emerging as a leading model for other sectors in India.
Similarly, PM Modi has entrusted Nirmala Sitharaman with the task of ensuring that the Indian economy stands firm despite the battering being received by the Covid-19 pandemic. Owing to the non-understanding of the subject, many believe Sitharaman has underperformed. But, given the situation and trying circumstances, she has proven to be incredible in her handling of the economy. That PM Modi has retained her as the finance minister speaks volumes about the trust he reposes in her to handle her crucial portfolio to the best of her abilities.
Read more: Arun Jaitley – You know the man, but do you know the reformer?
Dharmendra Pradhan, previously the Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister, has been given the Education Ministry now. The Education sector in India needs to be overhauled and to lead and oversee the same, PM Modi would have nobody but his very trusted Dharmendra Pradhan doing the job.
Arun Jaitley also gave BJP some very bankable leaders, like Anurag Thakur, who did an impeccable job as MoS Finance since 2019. Owing to his performance, he has now been promoted as the I&B Minister with a Cabinet rank.
Arun Jaitley’s legacy lives on. He has moulded leaders for the future for the BJP, and they are today proving to be the best performers in the Modi government. Known to be the BJP’s very own Lutyenite, Arun Jaitley has ensured that the saffron party’s foundations in New Delhi are dug for a long time, and remain unshakable.
