Arun Jaitley
A sharp legal mind and political strategist who became India's Finance Minister, steering the introduction of a transformative nationwide goods and services tax.
1952–2019 (age 67)·Indian politician and attorney·Birthday: December 28·Baby Boomers
Biography
Arun Jaitley was the quintessential insider, a man whose influence in Indian politics flowed from his mastery of both law and backroom negotiation. Trained as a lawyer, he first gained prominence as a student leader during the Emergency era. His legal acumen made him a valuable asset to the Bharatiya Janata Party, where he served as a formidable spokesperson and back-channel negotiator. Jaitley held multiple cabinet portfolios under Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, handling commerce, law, and shipping. His defining chapter began in 2014 when Prime Minister Narendra Modi appointed him Finance Minister. Jaitley's tenure was dominated by two monumental, contentious reforms: the demonetization of high-value currency notes in 2016, and the legislative marathon to implement the Goods and Services Tax (GST) in 2017. While demonetization was largely Modi's policy, the GST—a complex unification of India's tangled tax system—bore Jaitley's stamp of political consensus-building. A skilled orator in Parliament, he was also known for his wit, love for cricket, and friendships across political aisles, embodying an era of politics where personal rapport could still grease the wheels of monumental change.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Arun was born in 1952, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Arun Was Born
The biggest hits of 1952
#1 Movie
The Greatest Show on Earth
Best Picture
The Greatest Show on Earth
#1 TV Show
I Love Lucy
Arun's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1952Born
Queen Elizabeth II ascends the throne
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $8,350Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Blue Tango" — Leroy AndersonBest Picture: The Greatest Show on Earth
1957Started school
Sputnik launches the Space Age
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $10,550Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"All Shook Up" — Elvis PresleyBest Picture: The Bridge on the River Kwai
1965Became a teenager
US sends combat troops to Vietnam
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $13,600Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" — The Rolling StonesBest Picture: The Sound of Music
1968Could drive
Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert Kennedy assassinated
Gas: $0.34/galHome: $14,950Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"Hey Jude" — The BeatlesBest Picture: Oliver!
1970Could vote
First Earth Day; The Beatles break up
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $17,000Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Bridge over Troubled Water" — Simon & GarfunkelBest Picture: Patton
1973Turned 21
US withdraws from Vietnam; Roe v. Wade decided
Gas: $0.39/galHome: $22,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree" — Tony Orlando & DawnBest Picture: The Sting
1982Turned 30
Michael Jackson releases Thriller
Gas: $1.22/galHome: $55,200Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Physical" — Olivia Newton-JohnBest Picture: Gandhi
1992Turned 40
LA riots after Rodney King verdict
Gas: $1.13/galHome: $84,300Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"End of the Road" — Boyz II MenBest Picture: Unforgiven
2002Turned 50
Euro currency enters circulation
Gas: $1.36/galHome: $137,800Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"How You Remind Me" — NickelbackBest Picture: Chicago
2012Turned 60
Curiosity rover lands on Mars; Sandy Hook shooting
Gas: $3.64/galHome: $143,200Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Somebody That I Used to Know" — GotyeBest Picture: Argo
2019Died at 67
First image of a black hole; Hong Kong protests
Gas: $2.60/galHome: $224,400Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"Old Town Road" — Lil Nas XBest Picture: Parasite
Key Achievements
- Served as the Finance Minister of India from 2014 to 2019, overseeing the rollout of the landmark Goods and Services Tax (GST).
- Successfully piloted the contentious Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code through Parliament in 2016.
- Held multiple key cabinet positions including Defence, Corporate Affairs, and Law & Justice in different governments.
- Was a leading legal counsel and represented several high-profile cases before becoming a full-time politician.
Did You Know?
He was a passionate foodie and was known for his detailed knowledge of Delhi's restaurants.
Jaitley served as the President of the Delhi District Cricket Association (DDCA) for over a decade.
He was offered the post of Governor of Jammu and Kashmir in the early 2000s but declined.
During the Emergency (1975-77), he was arrested and spent 19 months in prison as a student activist.
““The GST is not just a tax reform, it’s a landmark political achievement which has brought different parties and different states together.””
