New Delhi: Finance minister Arun Jaitley on Monday underwent renal transplant surgery at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) and is recuperating well, the hospital said here.
“Arun Jaitley, the minister of finance and corporate affairs, underwent renal transplant surgery today at AIIMS, Delhi. The surgery has been successful. Both the recipient and donor are stable and recovering well,” AIIMS said in a statement.
Jaitley, known for his skills to build consensus among states for economic reforms such as the Goods and Services Tax (GST), is a key member of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s cabinet. The 65-year-old minister was suffering from a kidney ailment and has been undergoing dialysis for the last one month. The National Democratic Alliance is now consolidating its economic reforms and social welfare schemes in its last year in office before the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.
Jaitley had said in a tweet in April that he was being treated for kidney related problems and was working from a controlled environment at home. During the period, the minister actively participated in public discourse on policy matters, including on the terms of reference for the 15th Finance Commission, on which some south Indian states have raised some concerns.