Former President Pranab Mukherjee, the elder statesman of Indian politics, described by many as the “best Prime Minister India never had”, has died at 84. He had tested positive for COVID-19 and had been on a ventilator since surgery to remove a brain clot earlier this month.
A people’s person till the end, ‘Citizen Mukherjee’ used Twitter to communicate to the world that he had tested positive for COVID-19 on August 10. It was his last post and his last words to the public.
Demonstrating his ability to quickly adapt to situations as they arose, Mukherjee was at ease with the new mode of communication. Twitter was a platform he used often, to express his condolences on the death of leaders and friends, greet people on festivals, or wish them on their birthdays.
Some politicians don’t fade into the background. And so it was with the scholarly Mukherjee too. He remained a presence to contend with even after he demitted the office of president, often making headlines as he attended book launches and delivered lectures.
It was a life of many firsts and accomplishments for the West Bengal-born politician, famed for his encyclopedic memory, razor-sharp intellect, and deep insights into issues.
In 1982, he became India’s youngest finance minister when he was just 47. In the years that followed, he served as India’s Minister for External Affairs, Defence, Finance, and Commerce and was the first Indian president to have done so.
Mr. Mukherjee, “Citizen Mukherjee” on his Twitter handle, had announced his coronavirus positive status in his last tweet.
This time last year, Mr. Mukherjee had been awarded the Bharat Ratna, India’s highest civilian honor.
For Congress critics, he was the Prime Minister who wasn’t. Mr. Mukherjee, a lifelong Congressman, held some of the most important ministries in his long career but stopped short of the top post.
He was a minister in almost every Congress government since Indira Gandhi helped him get elected to the Rajya Sabha in 1969. He was widely expected to be Sonia Gandhi’s choice for Prime Minister after she refused to take the top job in 2004. But she picked Manmohan Singh.
He ended a spectacular career with the post of President of India, a largely ceremonial office, from 2012 to 2017.
In 2017, former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh noted that Mr. Mukherjee was “correctly upset when I was made Prime Minister”. Speaking at the launch of Mr Mukherjee’s book, he said: “He had a reason to feel upset but he respected me and we have a great relationship which will continue till we live.”
One of the country’s most widely-respected politicians, he was, to all across party lines, “Pranab-da”, the man who knew his constitution, with five decades of political and administrative experience, and political acumen that made him all-round problem solver. He was among the sharpest minds in his field, with an understanding of politics, economic policies as well as strategic issues.
Mr. Mukherjee, then Finance Minister, headed over 100 parliamentary committees at one time, which was seen as a measure of his importance in the government. He also remained the Congress’s chief troubleshooter and the party’s Mr. Dependable until he became President.
An episode that did cause a rift between Mr. Mukherjee and the Congress, his party of decades, was his move in 2018 to attend an event of the RSS or Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, the BJP’s ideological mentor. For many in Congress, it was a betrayal.
As president, Mr. Mukherjee witnessed the transition from the Congress-led UPA to the BJP-led government in 2014. He also enjoyed a cordial relationship with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who always had warm words for him.
Mr. Mukherjee was acknowledged across political parties as one of the best Parliamentarians the country has seen.
Not only was he vital to Congress’s decision-making, Pranab-da was also the man who got along with both coalition partners and the opposition. After a full day’s work as a minister, he would have political meetings at his home after 10 PM and often stretch past midnight.
Mr. Mukherjee was born to Kamada Kinkar Mukherjee, a freedom fighter, in a village in West Bengal’s Birbhum district.
After studying politics, history, and law at Calcutta University, he worked as a teacher, a journalist, and a lawyer before joining politics in 1969.
In his years in the Congress, there was a brief moment when Mr. Mukherjee quit the party in the power tussle following Indira Gandhi’s assassination in 1984. Mrs. Gandhi’s son Rajiv Gandhi did not accommodate Mr. Mukherjee in his Cabinet and he floated his own party — the Rashtriya Samajwadi Congress. He was brought back by former Prime Minister PV Narasimha Rao, who made him the deputy chairman of the Planning Commission.
Mr. Mukherjee had a passion for reading, gardening, and music – especially Rabindra Sangeet. Fish curry and rice was a meal he could not resist.
Sadly, Pranab Mukherjee, former President of India and stalwart of Indian politics, breathed his last on Monday (August 31). He was 84. The information was announced by his son Abhijit Mukherjee. The veteran politician was found to be coronavirus positive when he went to Army Hospital for treatment. At the hospital, he underwent surgery for a blood clot in the brain.
“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 Doctors of RR Hospital and prayers, duas & Prarthana from people throughout India,” Abhijit tweeted.
Pranab Mukherjee’s health worsened and was on ventilator support for days.
