Pranab Mukherjee 87th birth anniversary: Some lesser-known facts about former India President

Today, 11 December, India observes the birth anniversary of former Indian President Pranab Mukherjee. Known as a stalwart in Indian politics, Pranab Mukherjee was born on 11 December 1935 in West Bengal’s Birbhum district. He had an illustrious political career that spanned nearly five decades and as a part of it, he was elected as the 13th President of India. While Mukherjee began his political career in 1967, he went on to become a significant member of the Congress Party and was also a five-time member of the Rajya Sabha and a two-time member of the Lok Sabha. A very prominent personality in the history of Indian politics, Pranab Mukherjee passed away on 31 August 2020 after being hospitalised for several days. He had tested positive for COVID-19 earlier. Today on his 87th birth anniversary, let’s take a look at some lesser-known facts about him. Lesser-known facts about Pranab Mukherjee:

• Besides being a politician, Pranab Mukherjee also worked as a clerk at the Office of deputy Accountant-General, Calcutta, as a professor at Vidyanagar College, and then as a journalist at Desher Dak.
• He was the first Rajya Sabha member to serve as the Finance Minister. He presented seven budgets during his tenure.
• Pranab Mukherjee was awarded several national and international honours for his contribution to the country, including the Bharat Ratna in 2019.
• Not many know that the versatile leader was called ‘Poltu’ by his family members and close friends.
• Former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi played a huge role in Mukherjee’s political career. She was instrumental in bringing him into the Congress party.
• Known for his belief in the justice system, Mukherjee had rejected several mercy pleas, especially the ones filed by Afzal Guru and Ajmal Kasab, during his presidential term.
• It is said that the late leader was quite inspired by the Chinese political leader Deng Xiaoping. He also used to quote him frequently.
• As said by Mukherjee himself once, one of the main reasons why he couldn’t become the Prime Minister of India was due to his weak Hindi language.

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