President, PM mourn demise of Pranab Mukherjee

New Delhi, Aug 31: President Ram Nath Kovind and Prime Minister Narendra Modi mourned th4e passing away of former President Pranab Mukherjee at the Army’s Research and Referral Hospital here on Monday.

Describing Pranab Da’s demise as “passing of an era”, President Ram Nath Kovind in a series of tweets said that the late Pranab Mukherjee served Mother India with the ‘spirit of a sage’. Stating that late Pranab Mukherjee was a ‘colossus in public life’, the President said that the nation mourns losing one of its worthiest sons.

President Kovind said that late Mukherjee was endowed with perspicacity and wisdom and combined tradition and modernity. In his five-decade-long illustrious public life, he remained rooted to the ground irrespective of the exalted offices he held. The President said that he endeared himself to people across the political spectrum.

Kovind further said that as the First Citizen, Mukherjee continued to connect with everyone, bringing Rashtrapati Bhavan closer to the people. His decision to discontinue the use of the honorific ‘His Excellency’ was historic, Kovind said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi also paid rich tributes to Pranab Mukherjee saying that he had left an ‘indelible mark’ on the development trajectory of our nation. In a series of tweets, Modi described the late President as a towering statesman admired across the political spectrum and by all sections of the society.

The Prime Minister recalled how he was blessed to have the guidance, support, and blessings of Pranab Mukherjee as he was new to Delhi in 2014, the year he became the Prime Minister.

As President of India, Pranab Mukherjee made the Rashtrapati Bhavan even more accessible to common citizens, Modi said adding that Mukherjee made the President’s House a center of learning, innovation, culture, science, and literature. His wise counsel on key policy matters will never be forgotten by me, the Prime Minister tweeted.