Pranab Mukherjee, ‘dad’ of Indian politics, says goodbye at 84 | India News

NEW DELHI: Pranab Mukherjee, whose career on the national political stage began as a deputy for Rajya Sabha in 1969 and ended as president in 2017, passed away on Monday night at the age of 84, 22 days after being admitted to the Army Hospital (Investigation and Remission) in New Delhi after an emergency operation for a brain clot from which he never recovered. It was a rare defeat for a public figure who had managed to defy the vicissitudes of politics and the fickleness of personal equations to rise to the highest constitutional position in the country.
He had slipped into a deep coma and his medical condition was further complicated when he tested positive for Covid-19 and eventually succumbed to septic shock caused by a lung infection. The government has announced a seven-day mourning period until September 6. Mukherjee was one of only three independent Indian ministers to hold three positions on the CCS (Cabinet Security Committee): finance, defense and external affairs. He was also the leader of the House in Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha.
Congressman all his political life, except for a brief period in which he fought with Rajiv gandhi, Mukherjee worked with three PMs: Indira Gandhi, whose attention he first caught, PV Narasimha Rao and Manmohan singh. After his return to Congress, his career was revived by Rao, who appointed him vice chairman of the Planning Commission. However, he was rejected for the post of prime minister in 2004 when Sonia Gandhi elected Manmohan Singh.

Mukherjee received the Bharat Ratna, the nation’s highest honor, last year, an award that stood out because it was conferred at the behest of a government belonging to a party that he had consistently opposed. Previously, BJP allies JD (U) and Shiv Sena had broken ranks with their NDA partners to support his presidential candidacy.
Pranab Mukherjee: from Mirati to Rashtrapati Bhavan
Although he was not a mass leader – he only won an election in Lok Sabha in 2004 and never left a mark on state politics – he was the man to turn to in successive governments for problem-solving assignments.

President Ram Nath Kovind, Prime Minister Narendra modi, Head of Congress Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi led the nation in paying tribute to Mukherjee. A man of many nuances, he was a voracious reader whose knowledge of history and politics was embellished by a ring view of events of national importance.

His body will be deposited in state at his residence 10, Rajaji Marg from 9 am to noon on Tuesday and will be cremated at the Lodhi Road crematorium at 2.30 pm.

He was a key negotiator with the left on the nuclear deal between India and the United States until the communists parted ways with the UPA. He also spearheaded the UPA government’s failed effort to discourage the anti-corruption movement launched by the Aaam Aadmi Party and help clear the way for Narendra Modi’s victory in the 2014 LS elections.

A government response to a question from Parliament in 2010 (UPA-2) said that Mukherjee was at the head of all but one enabled GoM and was the head of 15 of 34 other GoMs. Seen as ‘Mr Fixit’ in UPA-1 and 2, he led eGoMs on 3G spectrum, food grain procurement and management, drought management, gas prices, PSU share price band, energy megaprojects and public transport systems . In all, he headed 95 GoMs during his time in the two UPA governments.
On Monday morning, the Army Hospital said his condition had deteriorated. “There has been a decline in Pranab Mukherjee’s medical condition since yesterday. He is in septic shock due to his lung infection and is being cared for by a team of specialists. He remains in a deep coma and on respiratory support, “the hospital said.
Mukherjee is survived by two sons and a daughter. Abhijit Mukherjee, a former MP, broke the news of her father’s death through a tweet. Her daughter Sharmistha has been active in politics and was a spokesperson for the Delhi Congress.