Prime Minister Narendra Modi drove down to former union minister Arun Jaitley’s house on Tuesday morning to pay tributes to the BJP stalwart who had been his friend for decades. PM Modi was on an official foreign tour when Jaitley, one of BJP’s tallest leader and a close friend died on Saturday.

PM Modi wrapped up the three-nation tour last night - theG-7 Summit in France was his last stop - and landed in the national capitalearlier this morning. Minutes later, he was headed to Jaitley’s south Delhi house to meet the former union minister’s family.The Prime Minister’s Office tweeted that the prime minister would pay tributes to Jaitley and extendcondolences to the bereaved family.

Home Minister Amit Shah was already there by the time PM Modireached Jaitley’s residence.

Prime Minister Modi was in UAE when news of Arun Jaitley’sdeath came in, triggering an outpouring of grief across the country. In tweets,PM Modi described Arun Jaitley as a “political giant, towering intellectual and legal luminary” and an articulate leader who made a lasting contribution toIndia.

Later addressing the Indian community in Bahrain, Prime Minister Modi spoke again about how he was bound by his duty on one side and on the other, his heart was full of emotions. “I cannot think that I am here in Bahrain and my dear friend Arun Jaitley is no more,” he told them.