Pranab Mukherjee, a towering statesman of Indian politics passed away on Monday evening at the age of 84. The former president of India who had also tested positive for COVID-19 had been in a coma after brain surgery in August. His son Abhijeet Mukherjee confirmed the news by tweeting a message saying this “With a Heavy Heart, this is to inform you that my father Shri Pranab Mukherjee has just passed away in spite the best efforts of Doctors of RR Hospital and prayers, duas and prarthanas from people throughout India! I thank all of You” on his Twitter account. Pranab Mukherjee’s funeral will take place today with full military honors. The central government also announced 7 days of mourning for the former president of India.
President Ram Nath Govind and Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited his residence and paid their last respects. Vice president M Venkaiah Naidu, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, Chief of Defence Staff Gen Bipin Rawat, and many other politicians paid their homage to the veteran politician.
Mr. Mukherjee got admitted to the hospital on August 10 and underwent the surgery on the same day for the removal of a clot in his brain. Mr. Mukherjee also tested corona positive when he was admitted to the hospital. He also developed a lung infection and renal dysfunction over the past few days according to doctors. The former president didn’t recover from the surgery and his further medical condition got even more critical when tested positive and was also diagnosed with a lung infection.
Pranab Mukherjee had a decades-long political career. Mr. Mukherjee worked with three PMs in his lifetime that are Indira Gandhi, P V Narasimha Rao, and Manmohan Singh. After his return to Congress, his career got revived by Narasimha Rao who appointed him as the deputy chairman of the planning commission. The veteran politician further served as foreign and finance minister in several governments. And was finally appointed at the highest position as the President of India and served from 2012-2017. Mukherjee also received the nation’s highest honor Bharat Ratna last year. He had left an indelible mark in the history of Indian politics.
“My passion has been the service of the people of India,” Pranab Mukherjee said in a speech while summing up 50 years of political life when he left the office of President in 2017. The veteran politician will always remain in our hearts for being generous, kind, and for his selfless service to the nation. May his soul rest in peace.
