Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath on Saturday condoled the death of former union finance minister and BJP stalwart Arun Jaitley, saying the country has lost a "nationalist and progressive leader".

RIP Arun Jaitley | Former finance minister passes away at 66

Jaitley, 66, breathed his last at 12:07 pm at the AIIMS in Delhi after battling multiple health issues for the last several months. He was on life support.

"The country has lost a nationalist and progressive politician in Arun Jaitley. He was a legal luminary and a politician who used to put across his views on national issue frankly.

"I pray to God that his soul rests in peace and to give strength to his family members and citizens to cope with the loss," Nath said in a statement.