Ex- Prez Pranab dies: An era ends in Indian politics
Funeral today at Lodhi Rd State mourning for a week
India grieves the passing away of Bharat Ratna Shri Pranab Mukherjee. He has left an indelible mark on the development trajectory of our nation. A scholar par excellence, a towering statesman, he was admired across the political spectrum.
— Narendra Modi Prime Minister
Former President of India and stalwart of Indian politics Pranab Mukherjee, who was often called the “man for all seasons”, died at the Army’s Research and Referral Hospital in New Delhi on Monday after ailing for some weeks. He was 84. His son Abhijit Mukherjee announced the news of his death. He is survived by his son Abhijit and daughter Sharmistha Mukherjee.
Speaking about his long journey, Pranab Mukherjee once said: “I have seen vast, perhaps unbelievable changes during the journey that has brought me from the flicker of a lamp in a small Bengal village to the chandeliers of Delhi.”
Pranab Mukherjee’s funeral will be held at the Lodhi Road crematorium in New Delhi at 2 pm on Tuesday. The government announced seven days of state mourning throughout the country, when the tricolour will be flown at half- mast and there will be no official
entertainment.
Mukherjee, who was found to be coronavirus positive, was admitted to the Army R& R Hospital, where he also underwent surgery for a blood clot in the brain. His condition deteriorated over weeks and he was put on ventilator support. “With a heavy heart, this is to inform you that my father Pranab Mukherjee has just passed away in spite of the best efforts of the doctors of R& R Hospital and prayers, duas and prathanas from people throughout India,” his son tweeted. Mukherjee was conferred the Padma Vibhushan in 2008 and the Bharat Ratna in 2019.
His political career spanned nearly five decades. Mukherjee, who
Pranabda had been such an integral and prominent part of national life, the Congress party and the Central government for over five decades. It is hard to imagine how can we do without his wisdom, experience, sage advice and deep understanding of so many subjects.
— Sonia Gandhi Congress president started as an election
manager, reached the top of the pyramid when he became President in 2012. He served as President till 2017. During his long political career, he donned many hats. He served as external affairs minister, finance minister, defence minister, commerce minister, besides being leader of the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha.
Mukherjee was born on December 11, 1935 at Mirati, a village in the Bengal Presidency of British India ( now in Birbhum district of West Bengal). He studied history, political science and law at Calcutta University.
His political journey began in 1969 when became the election manager of V. K. Krishna Menon, who was contesting as an Independent. Impressed by his managerial and organisational skills, then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi got him into the Congress and sent him to the Rajya Sabha. His rise under Mrs Gandhi was meteoric and over the years he became one of her most trusted lieutenants. At age 47, he became India’s youngest finance minister in 1982. He was one of the few leaders who stood by Indira Gandhi when she imposed the Emergency in 1975 and when she split the Congress in 1978. His political rise took a tumble after the assassination of Indira Gandhi in 1984. He fell from favour as then PM Rajiv Gandhi and his coterie felt Mukherjee, as the seniormost Cabinet minister, saw himself as the rightful heir to Indira’s throne. As Rajiv took over as PM, he not only dropped Pranab Mukherjee from the Cabinet but expelled him from the party. In his memoir The Turbulent Years: 1986- 96, Mukherjee wrote that he was “shellshocked and flabbergasted” as he was excluded from the Cabinet.
On being dropped from the CWC, Mukherjee had recalled: “To my utter shock and dismay, I was dropped from the CWC, when it was reconstituted in January 1986. This was a blow which hurt even more than being dropped from the Cabinet...” Mukherjee then formed his own political party — Rashtriya Samajwadi Congress — in 1986. This turned into a political misadventure.
In 1989, Rajiv Gandhi realised the mistake of excluding the man who was number two in his mother’s
Cabinet. Mukherjee was recalled and he merged his outfit with the Congress. Rajiv Gandhi later said many things told to him about Mukherjee were “untrue”. In Mukherjee’s words – “to return to the question of why he ( Rajiv) dropped me from the Cabinet and expelled me from the party, all I can say is that he made mistakes, and so did I. He let others influence him and listed to their calumnies against me. I let my frustration overtake my patience.”
After Rajiv Gandhi’s assassination, Pranab Mukherjee returned to the government as external affairs minister under P. V. Narasimha Rao, while then RBI governor Manmohan Singh became finance minister. Once again he missed the coveted throne when
Sonia Gandhi chose Dr Manmohan Singh to lead the UPA over him. Even if he was “upset”, Mukherjee did not let that influence his work and in 2004- 2014 he was heading most of the Groups of Ministers. Speaking at the launch of Mukherjee’s book The Coalition Years, former PM Manmohan Singh reflected on Sonia Gandhi choosing him over Pranab. “He ( Pranab) had reason to feel upset but he respected me and we have a great relationship which will continue till we live.” While some blamed Sonia Gandhi for choosing Dr Singh over Mukherjee, there were rumours that it was Rahul Gandhi who took the final call. The Gandhi family, which apparently denied him the top post twice, also seemed reluctant at first about nominating him for President. Some say the Gandhi family ( post- Indira) “could never fully trust Pranab Da”. Mukherjee wrote: “The bone of contention about my nomination ( was) the same as that in 2007: She told me frankly, ‘ Pranabji, you are the most eminently suited for the office, but you should not forget the crucial role you are playing in the functioning of the government. Could you suggest an alternative?’”
But then came something which virtually forced Sonia Gandhi’s hand to lean towards Mukherjee. Trinamul Congress chief Mamata Banerjee, at a joint press conference with Samajwadi boss Mulayam Singh Yadav said their presidential nominees were A. P. J. Abdul Kalam,
Manmohan Singh and Somnath Chatterjee.
Ms Banerjee revealed Sonia Gandhi proposed the names of Hamid Ansari and Pranab Mukherjee, which were “unacceptable” to them. Realising they could not lose the presidential election, several meetings were held among UPA partners, and the Left parties proposed Mukherjee’s name, which was seconded by others. Finally, Mrs Gandhi endorsed his candidature.
Mukherjee wrote in The Coalition Years: “After briefing the meeting on the presidential election, Sonia Gandhi bid me an emotional farewell… Thereafter, with a mischievous smile, she looked at me and said: ‘ Along with that, of course, I will miss some of his tantrums’.”