Former President of India Pranab Mukherjee passes away
Former President of India Pranab Mukhergee died at 84 in Delhi. The announcement of his demise was made on Twitter by his son Abhijit Mukherjee. In his post, he said, “With a heavy heart, this is to inform you that my father Shri Pranab Mukherjee has just passed away in spite of the best efforts of doctors of RR Hospital and prayers, duas, and prarthanas from people throughout India. I thank all of you.”
Pranab Mukherjee was a Congress leader and in the span of his political career, he held a number of top cabinet posts like the Home Ministry, Finance, Defence, and others. He became the youngest Finance Minister of India in 1982, at the age of 47. He has set examples of good statesmanship and an everlasting larger than life legacy. His death is being mourned by everyone on Twitter.
President of India, Ram Nath Kovind made a series of tweets mourning the death of the former President. He said, “Endowed with perspicacity and wisdom, Bharat Ratna Shri Pranab Mukherjee combined tradition and modernity. In his five decade long illustrious public life, he remained rooted to the ground irrespective of the exalted offices he held. He endeared himself to people across political spectrum.” He continued, “As the first citizen, he continued to connect with everyone, bringing Rashtrapati Bhavan closer to the people. He opened its gates for public visit. His decision to discontinue the use of the honorific ‘His Excellency’ was historic.”
Prime Minister Narendra Modi also grieved with the nation and said that Shri Pranab Mukherjee ‘has left an indelible mark on the development trajectory of our nation’. He remembered him as a ‘scholar par excellence’ and a ‘towering statesman’. He also said that during his career, Mukherjee made ‘long-lasting contributions’ in key economic and strategic ministries. He went on to say that the former president made the Rashtrapati Bhavan more accessible to common citizens and made it a centre for learning, innovation, culture, science, and literature. Modi remembered ‘wise counsel’ on policy matters that he received from Mukherjee. Opposition leader Rahul Gandhi also expressed his grief along with Chief Ministers of different states of India.
Mukherjee was being operated to remove a blood clot in his brain at Delhi’s Army Research and Referral Hospital. The hospital had warned on Monday morning that his condition was deteriorating as he was in septic shock due to an infection in his lung.