On Monday, India lost yet another gem as former President of the country, Pranab Mukherjee, breathed his last. In this article, we take a look at the rise of the leader from a village in West Bengal to becoming the recipient of the highest civilian honor of the country.
Early Life
Pranab Mukherjee was born to Kamada Kinkar Mukherjee and Rajlakshmi Mukherjee in Mirati, a village in West Bengal. Pranab Mukherjee’s father was involved in the Indian Independence Movement and was also a member of the Indian National Congress.
Pranab Mukherjee attained an MA degree in Political Science and History along with an LLB degree. He worked as a clerk, lecturer, and journalist before making his way to politics.
The Break in Politics
This happened in 1969 when Indira Gandhi helped him to get elected to the Rajya Sabha with a Congress ticket. This was because the then Prime Minister was impressed with Pranab’s talents when he successfully managed the by-election campaign of VK Krishna Menon.
After this, Pranab became one of the most trusted leaders of Indira Gandhi. He was part of her cabinet, which also included a two-year stint as the Finance Minister of India.
Pranab wanted to succeed Indira Gandhi as India’s PM
After Indira Gandhi’s assassination, the inexperienced Rajiv Gandhi was brought forward as the face of the party. However, Pranab Mukherjee differed with this view and felt that he was the rightful successor to the PM’s chair. In the battle for power, Pranab eventually lost his prominence in the party.
Own Party
Hence, Pranab Mukherjee completed disassociated himself from the Congress Party. He formed his own party, which was named as the Rashtriya Samajwadi Congress Party. However, the idea was short-lived as the party merged with the Congress in 1989.
Pranab Mukherjee back in Congress
Pranab was back in Congress, and after Rajiv Gandhi’s assassination, the leader was deemed yet again as a figurehead within the party. The then Prime Minister P. V. Narasimha Rao appointed him Planning Commission head in 1991 and foreign minister in 1995.
Vital in Sonia Gandhi’s rise within the party
It was at that time that Sonia Gandhi was slowly gaining the confidence of the party workers, and was making way to the leadership circles of the party. In her journey, it was Pranab Mukherjee who truly stood by her side. His leadership skills along with the knowledge of the root levels of the party helped Sonia gain a strong foothold within Congress.
The No.2 to Manmohan Singh during UPA era
It was only in 2004 that Pranab Mukherjee won his first Lok Sabha seat. This coincided with UPA forming a government at the center. Although Manmohan Singh himself opined that Pranab Mukherjee is worthy of being a Prime Minister, the West Bengal leader had an equally important role to play, if not greater, when Mr. Singh was India’s PM.
He held many pivotal cabinet ministries – Defence, External Affairs and Finance – apart from heading several Groups of Ministers and being Leader of the House in the Lok Sabha. This way, Pranab Mukherjee was practically Manmohan Singh’s No.2 during the regime.
The Presidency & Bharat Ratna
In 2012, Pranab Mukherjee resigned from his post and decided to run for the Presidential elections. With Congress’ support, Mr. Pranab comfortably defeated P. A. Sangma and became the President of the country. However, after the completion of his tenure, he chose not to re-run for the elections following health complications.
In 2019, Pranab Mukherjee was also conferred with India’s Highest Civilian Honor – The Bharat Ratna.
Source: Wikipedia
