Amritsar: Former Union finance minister Arun Jaitley is no more. But the people or Punjab remember the BJP leader fondly and his love for Amritsari street food.

Speaking to news agency PTI, Amritsar resident Gunbir Singh said Kesar Da Dhaba, Kultcha Land and Giani Tea were Jaitley's favourites. He also said that Jaitley would chat with the residents at length in Punjabi while relishing these dishes.

Amritsar was Jaitley's maternal grandparents' home, also called as nanka. He loved the city not only because he was fond of Amritsari street food but also its culture, say locals.

The locals remembered how Jaitley loved to move around on the streets of Amritsar and interact with the people.

Paying his tributes to the leader, local BJP leader Rajinder Mohan Singh Chhina, who was the covering candidate for Jaitley during the 2017 by-poll for Amritsar Lok Sabha seat, said the leader acted as a bridge for the historic SAD-BJP alliance in Punjab.

Chhina said that Jaitley was a visionary leader and was one of the tallest figures in the country's political history. Nation has lost a statesman-politician who was an asset not only for the party, but for the whole nation, he said.

"He used to love Amritsari street food and culture and knew all the eating joints in the walled city areas. His love for the city was matchless as Amritsar was his 'nanka' (maternal parents' home)," Chhina told PTI.

He also added that Jaitley would always say that Hindu-Sikh unity was paramount in Punjab and was the votary for SAD-BJP political partnership.

He also said that Jaitley visited the Khalsa College frequently and interacted with the students.

The 66-yer-old Jaitley died at AIIMS in Delhi on Saturday (August 24) where he was undergoing treatment for several weeks. 

(With PTI inputs)