Union Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas, Hardeep Singh Puri on September 30 delivered the Arun Jaitley Memorial Lecture on the 'India@2047: Towards Fulfilling the Vision of Viksit Bharat' at the OP Jindal Global University.
Remembering Arun Jaitley, Dr Puri said,
“As a young activist, he identified himself with democracy and freedom. He was imprisoned for 18 months during the Emergency. He identified himself with the kind of India we are trying to build, anchored in the rule of law. He was a student, a democrat, a lawyer and a politician. He was an inspiration to many in my generation. There were points on which we happily and democratically disagreed and we did so given the freedoms that we had."
Founding Vice Chancellor, OP Jindal Global University, Prof (Dr) C Raj Kumar said,
“I want to express my deep sense of gratitude for Dr Hardeep Puri’s encouragement and support for university and for all the effort that he has taken to personally be with us given the demands on his time. He is a technocrat-turned-scholar politician after a long career as a civil servant and diplomat to transition effectively into politics and has held multiple portfolios showcasing adaptability and resilience. He oversaw the Central Vista project, revamp of the parliament and central government buildings, a highly visible and ambitious infrastructure undertaking but he navigated and built consensus and it is now one of the most remarkable projects in post-independent India. His capacity to operate under extreme pressure, coordinate across ministries and diplomacy and deliver on time in crisis situations underscores his strength in both public service and executive action. He has always demonstrated the best that India can offer to the world with his ability to understand public policy and to articulate it effectively.”
Dean, Jindal School of Government and Public Policy, Prof R Sudarshan recounted Arun Jaitley's legacy.
“Arun Jaitley was elected in 1974 as the Delhi University Students Union president. He was a feisty, speaker and a student leader. Soon after that, Mrs Indira Gandhi declared a state of emergency and he was jailed under the notorious Maintenance of Internal Security Act. He was the leader of the opposition from 2009 to 2014. He was a true parliamentarian who respected the institution. He was also a great lawyer. In his parliamentary career he had no adversaries in that sense and shared a camaraderie with people from all parties," he observed.
Dean, Strategic & International Initiatives Prof (Dr) Mohan Kumar in his introductory remarks observed,
“Dr. Hardeep Puri has been an exceptional officer of the Indian Foreign Service and now an exceptional minister given to intellectual rigour with a tremendous will to learn.”
A Q&A session was also held as part of the event, which was moderated by Adjunct Professor of Practice Prof Ambreen Khan.
The concluding remarks were delivered by Dean, Admissions and Outreach, JGU, Prof (Dr) Upasana Mahanta.
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