New Delhi: Today is the birth anniversary of the former President of the country and Bharat Ratna awardee Pranab Mukherjee. Pranab Mukherjee was considered rich in knowledge, and a scholar of politics and diplomacy. This was the reason that Pranab Mukherjee, who was associated with Congress during the tenure of Indira Gandhi, became a veteran and strong leader in the party. He saw many ups and downs in his political life. From Indira Gandhi's government to Manmohan Singh's government, he was a part of the central cabinet and reached Rashtrapati Bhavan.
Born on 11 December 1935 in Mirati, a small village in the Birbhum district of West Bengal, Pranab da was a grassroots leader. He did his MA in Political Science and History from Calcutta and also studied LLB from Calcutta University. In 1963, Pranab Mukherjee started his career as an Upper Division Clerk in the office of the Deputy Accountant-General (Post and Telegraph) in Kolkata. After this, he became an Assistant Professor of Political Science in his own college, Vidyanagar College. Before entering politics, Mukherjee also worked as a journalist for the magazine Desh Dak (Call of the Motherland). Pranab Mukherjee remained in politics for almost 5 decades and held many important positions. Mukherjee, who also played an important role in the Indira Gandhi government, was considered the biggest and most credible face of Congress.
Pranab Mukherjee entered politics from 1969 and was elected to the Upper House for the first time. Mukherjee was a member of the Rajya Sabha of Parliament for five terms. In the year 1973, Pranab Mukherjee became the Union Minister for the first time. After that, he was continuously a part of Indira Gandhi and then the Rajiv Gandhi cabinet. By winning the 2004 and 2009 Lok Sabha elections, Pranab da became a member of the Lok Sabha and remained the leader of the house in the Lok Sabha for 8 years. In 2012, he resigned from Congress and the Lok Sabha to contest the presidential election. Pranab da left an indelible mark even as the President. During this, he took a tough stand on mercy petitions. He received 34 mercy petitions and rejected 30 of them. These include the mercy petition of 2008 Mumbai attacks convict Ajmal Kasab, 2001 Parliament attack prime accused Afzal Guru and 1993 Mumbai bomb blasts convict Yakub Menon. 2012 to Kasab, Afzal Guru was hanged in 2013 and Yakub Menon in 2015. Pranab da, who made his mark as the President of the people, will always be remembered for the steps taken to take the Rashtrapati Bhavan closer to the people.
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