Pranab Mukherjee, Former President, Awarded Bharat Ratna; Know Journey of The Leader Who Became a Statesman

New Delhi, January 25: Former President Pranab Mukherjee, Bharatiya Jana Sangh leader Nanaji Deshmukh and singer Bhupen Hazarika were on Friday conferred the country’s highest civilian award Bharat Ratna. Pranab Mukherjee is the only living legend from among the three great names who have been conferred with the country's highest civilian honour. Pranab Mukherjee To be Conferred With Bharat Ratna Along With Nanaji Deshmukh and Dr Bhupen Hazarika.

In an official statement, the government said Deshmukh and Hazarika were conferred the award posthumously. Mukherjee was president between 2012 and 2017. Bharat Ratna For Pranab Mukherjee, Nanaji Deshmukh & Bhupen Hazarika; PM Narendra Modi, Union Ministers Congratulate and Remember Recipients of India’s Highest Civilian Award.

Pranab Kumar Mukherjee was born on December 11, 1935 and served as the 13th President of India from 2012 until 2017 after a long innings in politics as a Congressman.

In a political career spanning five decades, Mukherjee has been a senior leader in the Indian National Congress and has occupied several ministerial portfolios in the Government of India.

Pranab Mukherjee was Union Finance Minister from 2009 to 2012, before becoming the President of India.

Mukherjee got his break in politics in 1969 when Prime Minister Indira Gandhi helped him get elected to the Rajya Sabha, the upper house of Parliament of India, on a Congress ticket. Mukherjee witnessed a meteoric rise, as he became one of Gandhi's most trusted lieutenants and a minister in her cabinet by 1973.

During the controversial Internal Emergency of 1975–77, he was accused (like several other Congress leaders) of committing gross excesses. Mukherjee's service in a number of ministerial capacities culminated in his first stint as finance minister in 1982–84. Pranab Mukherjee was also Leader of the House in the Rajya Sabha from 1980 to 1985.

But Mukherjee had a tough time after Indira Gandhi's resignation and he couldn't get along well with former PM and Indira Gandhi's son Rajiv Gandhi. After he was not named in the Rajiv Gandhi cabinet following Rajiv Gandhi's massive win in the election after Indira Gandhi's death in December 1984, Mukherjee founded his own party, the Rashtriya Samajwadi Congress (RSC) in West Bengal in 1986. However, it merged with the Congress after three years.

Mukherjee then came back strongly in the party after Rajiv Gandhi's assassination left Congress in a crisis. It was during PM Narasimha Rao's tenure, that Mukherjee was appointed the deputy chairman of the Indian planning commission. He also became the External Affairs minister in the year 1995.

Mukherjee then held a number of portfolios from 2004 to 2012, till he was named the President of India under UPA I and UPA II regime. Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated Mukherjee and wrote on twitter, "Pranab Da is an outstanding statesman of our times. He has served the nation selflessly and tirelessly for decades, leaving a strong imprint on the nation's growth trajectory. His wisdom and intellect have few parallels. Delighted that he has been conferred the Bharat Ratna."

Pranab Mukherjee expressed his gratitude and said that, "It is with a deep sense of humility and gratitude to the people of India that I accept this great honour #BharatRatna bestowed upon me. I have always said and I repeat, that I have got more from the people of our great country than I have given to them."

The Bharat Ratna has been conferred after a gap of four years. Former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and founder of Banaras Hindu University Madan Mohan Malviya were given the award by the Narendra Modi government in 2015.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jan 25, 2019 10:23 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).