Finance Minister Arun Jaitley unexpectedly left for the U.S. on Sunday night for a medical check up relating to his kidney ailment, sources said.
Jaitley is scheduled to present his sixth and the Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance government's last budget of this term on Feb. 1. Though it is an interim budget, Jaitley was widely expected to deliver a full-length speech.
Jaitley was admitted to All India Institute of Medical Sciences last year in early April following which he underwent dialysis. He had a renal transplant surgery on May 14.
In his absence, Railways Minister Piyush Goyal was given the additional charge of Finance Ministry on May 14.
Jaitley, 66, who had stopped attending office at the start of April, was back in the North Block - the seat of Finance Ministry - on Aug. 23.
In the nine months since his surgery, Jaitley had not travelled abroad.
Essential Business Intelligence, Continuous LIVE TV, Sharp Market Insights, Practical Personal Finance Advice and Latest Stories — On NDTV Profit.
