On the first death anniversary of Arun Jaitely on Monday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed that he misses his friend a lot and that his late Cabinet colleague diligently served India.

Top BJP leaders, including Home Minister Amit Shah, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and party president J P Nadda, fondly remembered Jaitley, who was the voice of the party on various issues for decades and was seen as its main trouble shooter.

The prime minister tweeted, “On this day, last year, we lost Shri Arun Jaitley Ji. I miss my friend a lot. Arun Ji diligently served India. His wit, intellect, legal acumen and warm personality were legendary. Here is what I had said during a prayer meeting in his memory.”

He posted a video of his speech at the condolence meeting held here for Jaitley last year.

Remembering Jaitley, Shah said he was an outstanding politician, prolific orator and a great human being who had “no parallels” in Indian polity.

He was multifaceted and a friend of friends, who will always be remembered for his towering legacy, transformative vision and devotion to the nation, the former BJP president added.