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NEW DELHI: Pranab Mukherjee’s 50-year-long public life was the envy of every aspiring politician, Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu said as he delivered the first Pranab Mukherjee Memorial Lecture on the anniversary of the former President’s death.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi hailed Mukherjee as a “visionary and statesman” in a letter to his daughter Sharmistha as he recalled the ‘insightful counsel’ on policy matters he got from the former President.
“More than the statistics about the long years of being in power, it was the contributions of Pranab da that made him unique in several ways. He deployed his sharp mind, phenomenal memory, deep understanding of our country’s diversity, history and civilisational values, and knowledge of statecraft to best use to various aspects of nation building,” Naidu said, referring to Mukherjee as “a path finder in troubled situations” and a “consensus builder”.
He also expressed concern over rising disruptions in legislatures and the declining quality of India’s parliamentary democracy, calling for a people’s movement to influence the conduct of 5,000 MPs, MLAs and MLCs in law-making bodies. Calling it ‘Mission 5,000’, Naidu said such a campaign will save parliamentary democracy from losing its sheen.
In its first edition, the memorial lecture also saw the virtual participation of former PM Manmohan Singh and a recorded message from Bangladesh premier Sheikh Hasina and Bhutanese King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck.
“To all positions he occupied he brought his immense wisdom, deep knowledge, extensive experience of life and leadership skills spearheading critical decisions of the government on a wide range of issues,” Manmohan Singh said.
Paying tribute to Mukherjee, Sheikh Hasina said, “He was a true friend of Bangladesh and a great political icon of the sub-continent. I pay my deep homage to the memory of this towering personality on his death anniversary…Pranab da had a deep love for Bangladesh. People of Bangladesh gratefully remember his support. Pranab Mukherjee had enormous respect and deep regards for our Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman,” she said.
Wangchuck said that while he cherishes the many meetings with Mukherjee, he feels the absence of the Indian leader’s wisdom, wise counsel and support which he was fortunate to receive.
“Shri Mukherjee contributed greatly in further strengthening the excellent relations between Bhutan and India. He had a long and close association with my father, the 4th King and they developed a close bond of friendship,” he said.
In his letter to Mukherjee’s daughter, PM Modi said that as President of India, Mukherjee upheld the highest traditions, “further strengthening the democratic fabric of our nation” and said he was “blessed” to have always got the guidance and support of the former President.
Virtually delivering the first ‘Pranab Mukherjee Memorial Lecture’ on ‘Constitutionalism; Guarantor of Democracy and Inclusive Growth’, organised by the ‘Pranab Mukherjee Legacy Foundation’, Naidu remembered Mukherjee fondly.
“For both of us, India came first. When Pranab da became the first former President of India to address a RSS training camp at Nagpur, it was a profound statement of rising above the usual divide in the larger interest,” he said.
Naidu said the Constitution of India is a profound statement of socio-economic objectives to be realised while pursuing the path of participatory democracy.
He also said protests on the floor of legislative chambers are fine so long as they don’t breach the dignity and decorum of the House.
“Protesting against the omissions and commissions of the governments on the floor of the legislatures is the right of the legislators. But the emotional underpinnings of such protests should not cross the limits of decency and decorum that should mark parliamentary democracy. To ensure this, I have been advocating that ‘Let the government propose, the opposition oppose and the House dispose’,” he said.
He also said “dysfunctional legislatures” prevent wider consultations that should precede policy making and such actions negate the principle of accountability of the executive to legislatures, promoting arbitrariness, which Constitutionalism seeks to checkmate.
Naidu also spoke on the country’s agenda for the next 25 years, stressing on inclusive developmental strategies and polity to eliminate what remains of poverty, illiteracy, gender discrimination and inequities.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi hailed Mukherjee as a “visionary and statesman” in a letter to his daughter Sharmistha as he recalled the ‘insightful counsel’ on policy matters he got from the former President.
“More than the statistics about the long years of being in power, it was the contributions of Pranab da that made him unique in several ways. He deployed his sharp mind, phenomenal memory, deep understanding of our country’s diversity, history and civilisational values, and knowledge of statecraft to best use to various aspects of nation building,” Naidu said, referring to Mukherjee as “a path finder in troubled situations” and a “consensus builder”.
He also expressed concern over rising disruptions in legislatures and the declining quality of India’s parliamentary democracy, calling for a people’s movement to influence the conduct of 5,000 MPs, MLAs and MLCs in law-making bodies. Calling it ‘Mission 5,000’, Naidu said such a campaign will save parliamentary democracy from losing its sheen.
In its first edition, the memorial lecture also saw the virtual participation of former PM Manmohan Singh and a recorded message from Bangladesh premier Sheikh Hasina and Bhutanese King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck.
“To all positions he occupied he brought his immense wisdom, deep knowledge, extensive experience of life and leadership skills spearheading critical decisions of the government on a wide range of issues,” Manmohan Singh said.
Paying tribute to Mukherjee, Sheikh Hasina said, “He was a true friend of Bangladesh and a great political icon of the sub-continent. I pay my deep homage to the memory of this towering personality on his death anniversary…Pranab da had a deep love for Bangladesh. People of Bangladesh gratefully remember his support. Pranab Mukherjee had enormous respect and deep regards for our Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman,” she said.
Wangchuck said that while he cherishes the many meetings with Mukherjee, he feels the absence of the Indian leader’s wisdom, wise counsel and support which he was fortunate to receive.
“Shri Mukherjee contributed greatly in further strengthening the excellent relations between Bhutan and India. He had a long and close association with my father, the 4th King and they developed a close bond of friendship,” he said.
In his letter to Mukherjee’s daughter, PM Modi said that as President of India, Mukherjee upheld the highest traditions, “further strengthening the democratic fabric of our nation” and said he was “blessed” to have always got the guidance and support of the former President.
Virtually delivering the first ‘Pranab Mukherjee Memorial Lecture’ on ‘Constitutionalism; Guarantor of Democracy and Inclusive Growth’, organised by the ‘Pranab Mukherjee Legacy Foundation’, Naidu remembered Mukherjee fondly.
“For both of us, India came first. When Pranab da became the first former President of India to address a RSS training camp at Nagpur, it was a profound statement of rising above the usual divide in the larger interest,” he said.
Naidu said the Constitution of India is a profound statement of socio-economic objectives to be realised while pursuing the path of participatory democracy.
He also said protests on the floor of legislative chambers are fine so long as they don’t breach the dignity and decorum of the House.
“Protesting against the omissions and commissions of the governments on the floor of the legislatures is the right of the legislators. But the emotional underpinnings of such protests should not cross the limits of decency and decorum that should mark parliamentary democracy. To ensure this, I have been advocating that ‘Let the government propose, the opposition oppose and the House dispose’,” he said.
He also said “dysfunctional legislatures” prevent wider consultations that should precede policy making and such actions negate the principle of accountability of the executive to legislatures, promoting arbitrariness, which Constitutionalism seeks to checkmate.
Naidu also spoke on the country’s agenda for the next 25 years, stressing on inclusive developmental strategies and polity to eliminate what remains of poverty, illiteracy, gender discrimination and inequities.
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