[India Report] New Indian President Mukherjee sworn in

New president taking oath (Photo : Newyork Times)

Mr. Pranab Mukherjee became the 13th President of India on Wednesday after a five decade of political life. He is the first Bengali to become the prime minister of India. The 76-year-old veteran leader took oath in the name of God in the presence of dignitaries including outgoing President Pratibha Patil, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Vice President Hamid Ansari and other respected personals. He was offered a 21 gun salute after the swearing-in ceremony administered by Chief Justice of India Sarosh Homi Kapadia at Central Hall of Parliament.

The country’s 4,896 lawmakers in state assemblies and parliament cast their votes for the president, a ceremonial post.“I declare that Pranab Mukherjee has been duly elected to the office of the president,” V.K. Agnihotri, returning officer for the poll, told reporters. 

Mukherjee began his political career with the Indian National Congress in 1969 under Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. He became one of her top lieutenants. His rise was meteoric in the early phase of his career and he became a cabinet minister in Indira Gandhi’s government in 1973.

Mukherjee rose through a series of cabinet posts to become the Finance Minister of India from 1982 to 1984. Mukherjee was leader of the House in the Rajya Sabha from 1980 to 1985. He served as the Minister of External Affairs (Foreign Minister) from 1995 to 1996 in Rao’s cabinet. He became the elder statesman of the Congress party during this period.

Mukherjee was Leader of the House in the Lok Sabha from 2004 to 2012. He served as the Minister of Defence from 2004 to 2006 and again served as the Minister of External Affairs from 2006 to 2009. He was the Finance Minister from 2009 to 2012 in the government of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

Mr. pranab mukherjee (Photo : Oneindia News)

Mukherjee has received several accolades and honors. In 1984, he was rated as the best Finance Minister in the World according to a survey of Euromoney magazine. In 2010, he was awarded “Finance Minister of the Year for Asia” by Emerging Markets, the daily newspaper of record for the World Bank and the IMF. In December 2010, The Banker recognised him as the “Finance Minister of the Year.

“The government of India honored him with the Padma Vibhushan ( the second highest civilian award of India) in 2008. Mukherjee was awarded an honorary Doctor of Letters degree by the University of Wolverhampton in 2011. He was also awarded an honorary D.Litt by the Assam University in March 2012.

Mukherjee was born to a Bengali family at Mirati in the Bengal province of British India on 11 December 1935. Mukherjee attended the Suri Vidyasagar College in Suri (Birbhum), then affiliated with the University of Calcutta. He has a Master of Arts degree in Political Science and History, as well as a degree in law from the University of Calcutta. Pranab Mukherjee married Suvra Mukherjee on 13 July 1957.

The couple has two sons and a daughter. He is inspired by Deng Xiaoping and has quoted him quite frequently. The old man is fond of reading, gardening and music. . Mukherjee himself has authored several books including Midterm Poll, Beyond Survival, Emerging dimensions of Indian Economy, Off the Track, Saga of Struggle and Sacrifice and Challenge before the Nation.

The new President of India said in his acceptance speech said that “this office is to function as the guardian of our Constitution”. Mukherjee emphasised on working towards prosperity. International Business Time quoted him as saying that “to eliminate the curse of poverty, and create such opportunities for the young that they can take our India forward by quantum leaps.

There is no humiliation more abusive than hunger. Trickle-down theories do not address the legitimate aspirations of the poor. We must lift those at the bottom so that poverty is erased from the dictionary of modern India.” The President said that only education can push India forward. He also said “peace is the first ingredient of prosperity”. “History has often been written in the red of blood; but development and progress are the luminous rewards of a peace dividend, not a war trophy. The two halves of the 20th Century tell their own story,” as quoted by the International Business Times.

Sudhanya Ghosh Intern Reporter news@theasian.asia