Indian finance minister Jaitley asks not to join new Modi government, citing health reasons

Indian finance minister Jaitley asks not to join new Modi government, citing health reasons
FILE PHOTO: India's Finance Minister Arun Jaitley attends a news conference sharing details about the recapitalisation of public sector banks in New Delhi, India, January 24, 2018. REUTERS/Saumya Khandelwal/File Photo Copyright Saumya Khandelwal(Reuters)
By Reuters
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NEW DELHI (Reuters) - Arun Jaitley, India's finance minister, has asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi not to give him a ministerial position in the new government, citing health issues.

"I should be allowed a reasonable time for myself, my treatment and my health, and, therefore not be a part of any responsibility, for the present, in the new government," Jaitley said in a letter written to Modi that was issued to media on Wednesday.

Modi won a second term in power with a landslide victory in the recent general election.

(Reporting by Aftab Ahmed and Manoj Kumar; Edited by Martin Howell)

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