Daijiworld Media Network - New Delhi

New Delhi, May 25: Finance Minister Arun Jaitley may not opt to take up a ministerial position in the new Modi government, due to his failing health.

In May 2017, Jaitley underwent a kidney transplant and his health has been on a decline since then.

Now he is suffering from an ‘undisclosed illness’ and it requires that he travels to UK or US for treatment. Sources say that he has developed a throat condition and is unable to speak for long.

Jaitley was admitted to AIIMS for a series of tests and was discharged on Thursday. He also skipped celebrations at BJP headquarters after the landslide victory.

Jaitley also remained absent from office for the last three weeks. He also did not attend the Cabinet meeting called on Friday that recommended dissolution of the 16th Lok Sabha.

However, he supposedly met all the five secretaries in his ministries at his residence. He also has been actively writing blogs and tweeted on Modi's victory on Thursday.

On January 22, Jaitley had undergone surgery in US for a reported soft tissue cancer in his left leg.

It was because of this surgery, he had to skip presenting the Modi government's sixth and final budget and Railway and Coal Minister Piyush Goyal presented it instead as stand-in finance minister.