Pranab Mukherjee passes away: Known as a consensus builder, ex-president's exemplary career spanned five decades
Former President Pranab Mukherjee underwent brain surgery at the Army’s Research and Referral (R&R) hospital for removal of a clot. He had tested positive for COVID-19 prior to the surgery
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Pranab Mukherjee assumed office as the 13th President of India on 25 July, 2012. The 84-year-old was conferred the Padma Vibhushan in 2008, the Best Parliamentarian Award in 1997 and Best Administrator in India Award in 2011. He has held many ministerial portfolios and was elected to the Rajya Sabha five times from 1969 and Lok Sabha twice from 2004. Image courtesy: Twitter/CitiznMukherjee
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He was born in the village of Mirati in Birbhum District of West Bengal as son of freedom fighters Kamada Kinkar Mukherjee and Rajlakshmi on 11 December, 1935. His father was a Congress leader who was sent to jail several times during India’s struggle for independence. Image Courtesy: Twitter/CitiznMukherjee
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Mukherjee entered the public life following his election to the Rajya Sabha in 1969. Under then prime minister Indira Gandhi, he was made Deputy Minister, Industry; Shipping and Transport, Steel and Industry and Minister of State for Finance in the period 1973-74. He assumed office as finance minister for the first time in 1982 in the Cabinet of then prime minister Indira Gandhi and was Leader of the House in the Rajya Sabha from 1980 to 1985. Image Courtesy: Twitter/CitiznMukherjee
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He was Deputy Chairman of the Planning Commission from 1991 to 1996, Minister for Commerce from 1993 to 1995, Minister of External Affairs from 1995 to 1996, Minister of Defence from 2004 to 2006 and the Minister of External Affairs from 2006 to 2009. He was the Minister of Finance from 2009 to 2012 and Leader of the Lower House of Parliament from 2004 to 2012, till he resigned to contest election to the office of the President. Image Courtesy: Twitter/CitiznMukherjee
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Mukherjee was a Congress Working Committee member for 23 years. In his political and presidential roles, he had been acclaimed for his role as a consensus builder on difficult national issues through his ability to forge unity amongst the diverse political parties. Image Courtesy: Twitter/CitiznMukherjee
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From 2004 to 2012, Mukherjee spearheaded critical decisions on a range of issues such as administrative reforms, Right to Information, Right to Employment, food security, energy security, information technology and telecommunication and setting up of UIDAI. He was also author of a modified formula for resource sharing between the Centre and the states in 1991 which came to be known as the Gadgil-Mukherjee formula. Image Courtesy: Twitter/CitiznMukherjee
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Mukherjee also served on the Board of Governors of the IMF, World Bank, Asian Development Bank and African Development Bank. He led the Indian delegations to the Commonwealth Finance Ministers’ Conferences in 1982, 1983 and 1984, the United Nations General Assembly in 1994, 1995, 2005 and 2006 and the Conference of Commonwealth Heads of Government at Auckland in 1995. Seen here with Myanmar’s Ang San Suu Kyi. Image Courtesy: Twitter/CitiznMukherjee
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Apart from a political career spanning over five decades, Mukherjee also authored eight books. He received many honorary doctorate degrees from universities across the world. He was rated one of the best five finance ministers of the world in 1984 according to a survey conducted by the Euro Money journal published from New York and was declared ‘Finance Minister of the year’ for Asia in 2010 by Emerging Markets, the journal of record for the World Bank and the IMF. Image Courtesy: Twitter/CitiznMukherjee
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Mukherjee is survived by his two sons and a daughter. In his private time, he loved to read, tend to his garden and enjoyed music. He was also an avid traveller. Image Courtesy: Twitter/CitiznMukherjee
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