On the 31st of August, Shri Pranab Mukherjee passed away, and with him, the old guard of Indian politics died out as well. He was cremated with full military honors and it was attended by the current President, Shri Ram Nath Kovind, and the Prime Minister, Narendra Modi. Shri Mukherjee's death was mourned by leaders around the world as well, as it was a terrible loss to India and her ideals.
The Republic of India was declared on the 26th of January, 1950, and with it came a lot of political, fundamental, and humane values. To this present day, there are very few who imbibe these values better than Shri Mukherjee, affectionately called ‘Pranab Da’. Even though he served as the 13th President of India, he will forever be known as the “Prime Minister India never had”.
Early life:
Mukherjee was born into a Bengali Brahman family in 1935 when India was still ruled by the British. He was raised by his parents who taught him the values of politics and democracy as his father was involved in the Indian Independence movement in Bengal. After obtaining an LL. B degree and a MA degree in Political Science and History from the University of Calcutta, he worked as a journalist and a clerk before moving on to the more politically inclined aspects of his life. [1]
Political Career:
1) A rising star under the Gandhis'
Shri Mukherjee started his illustrious political career by being a founding member of the Bengal (Bangla) Congress and consequently became a Rajya Sabha member with the Bangla Congress. He was then recognized as an aspiring political member and was subsequently recruited by Smt. Indira Gandhi to be part of her cabinet in 1973. He was taken under the wing of Smt. Indira Gandhi and was viewed as a trusted member of her cabinet and her go-to person in a crisis. He was appointed as Finance Minister in 1982. He made many worthwhile reforms and decisions and the most famous one was appointing Dr. Manmohan Singh as the Governor of the RBI under his term. The future would not be too kind for Pranab Da as his mentor was soon assassinated in 1984 and thus his trust and credibility in the Indian National Congress were put in doubt.
2) Subsequent sideline under Rajiv Gandhi
After Indira Gandhi’s death, Pranab Da felt his presence in the INC fade away as his proximity with Indira Gandhi before her death was suspicious to the next chief of the Congress Party, Shri Rajiv Gandhi. As a result, Rajiv Gandhi did not trust Mukherjee and hence sidelined him from the Congress party for a long time until his untimely death in 1991.
3) Political renewal
Since 1984, Shri Mukherjee was sidelined from the Congress after being the most trusted lieutenant of the previous chief, Indira Gandhi. This, however, would change subsequently after Rajiv Gandhi’s death in 1991. P V Narasimha Rao was the Prime Minister after Rajiv Gandhi and was a trusted friend of Pranab Da. As a result, he was brought back into the parliament as the Deputy Chairman of the Planning Committee and then served as a Union Minister in the cabinet. He served as Minister of External Affairs from 1995-1996 under Rao’s government. [2]
4) Strong Relationship with Sonia Gandhi
After his decades' long political career which started in the 1970s under the mentorship of Indira Gandhi, it was maybe destiny that aligned him with the Gandhi's again as he became the political advisor of Sonia Gandhi when she claimed the Congress Presidency in 1998. Many saw this move as his way of reaffirming his support as a Gandhi loyalist. He would subsequently be rewarded with his first Lok Sabha win in 2004 from Jangipur. When Sonia Gandhi withdrew from the Prime Minister role in the 2004 elections, many assumed Mukherjee would be appointed but he was sidelined again as Dr. Manmohan Singh was chosen by the Congress Party.
5) Respect under Manmohan Singh
Many believed Pranab Mukherjee was sidelined by Sonia Gandhi as he was too old for the job of Prime Minister and that his glory years were behind him. Little did they know how wrong they were. Like a phoenix rising from the ashes, Shri Mukherjee rose through the ranks as the go-to man during a crisis and he served as Minister of Defence and as the Finance Minister once again in 2008. In 2008, the world went through an economic recession and Pranab Da was the one who made sure India would not crumble like other nations during this time. He was instrumental in making sure India could be steered clear of the 2008 recession and this was where he cemented his place as not just the senior-most, but also the trusted leader and crisis handler of the Indian National Congress. [3]
6) The Presidency
Following his successful stint as Finance Minister under Dr. Manmohan Singh, Pranab Mukherjee was nominated by the UPA as the Presidential Candidate in 2012. The NDA applauded this decision and it was no surprise he received around double the number of votes as his counterpart. He was then sworn in as the 13th President of India and was the first Bengali to take the Office. In the modern era, he will go down as one of the most qualified and beloved Presidents that India has ever had. He resigned from office and politics in 2017 after his term ended, citing health concerns and thus ended the chapter of one of the finest politicians India has had.
Remembering Shri Pranab Mukherjee...
As we mourn the passing of Shri Pranab Mukherjee, we recall how his decades' long career affected everyone around him in a personal way due to his charismatic nature and unwavering morals. Even though he was sidelined from the Party for almost 8+ years, he never faltered from his ideals and kept charging on like the true warrior he was. People soon realized he was the living embodiment of India’s past form of politics infused with the resounding fire of the new age of politics and this helped him to deservedly become a Union Cabinet Minister in the 2000s. As he served as the Finance Minister for the second time almost 25 years later, he proved that he still had what it takes, saving India from the 2008 recession and was subsequently awarded as the Finance Minister of Asia in 2010. [4]
It was well deserved when he was announced as the President of India in 2012 and the biggest surprise was that the opposition had no form of ‘ammunition’ to use against him even though his career was 5 decades long. It was also reported that the top brass from the Opposition had voted for him as well in a never before seen bi-partisanship in voting. This tells us all we have to know about Pranab Da. From being a fiery leader in his youth to a dignified statesman, coupled with his seniority over everyone, he commanded a sense of respect in any room he walked into. He was a Bharat Ratna awardee and a recipient of the Padma Vibhushan, further cementing his place as one of the finest Cabinet ministers and Presidents that India has ever had. It is a tragic loss to the democratic values of India as the last knight of the old guard of Indian politics flames out and in fact, the only way we can honor him is by inculcating the strong values with which he carried the weight of his office and hence, India as a nation.
Article by-
Tarun Aiyappa,
PES MUN Society
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