New Delhi: An emotional President Pranab Mukherjee said he would leave the Parliament with a tinge of sadness and a rainbow of memories as he thanked all parliamentarians for giving him a warm farewell.
In his final speech in the Central Hall of Parliament, Mukherjee reminisced about his political journey, and said that he was “a creation of this Parliament” as the House had created his political outlook and persona. He was 34 when he was first elected to the Rajya Sabha in 1969. He spoke about his relationships during his long career lasting 48 years, and said he would carry fond memories of his association with Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his tenure as President.
He reserved the most praise for his “mentor”, former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, and described her as a towering personality. “My career was mentored by Mrs Indira Gandhi who was a towering personality. She had the courage to call a spade a spade," Mukherjee said, as he related an interesting incident that happened in London after the Congress’ defeat post Emergency.
“After the Congress’ and her own defeat post Emergency, she went to London in 1978. A battery of media persons, in a fairly aggressive mood were waiting to ask questions,” he said. "The first question was: ‘What had been your gains from Emergency?' Looking directly into their eyes, in a level voice she replied: ‘In those 21 months, we comprehensively managed to alienate all sections of people’,” Mukherjee recalled.
After a few seconds of silence, there was laughter, he said. “Nobody after that asked a question about Emergency and the media persons melted away,” he said.
Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan, who addressed the parliamentarians first, said Mukherjee had adorned the office of the President with great dignity and it was a sombre moment for all those gathered in the Central Hall of Parliament.
“You have been a guru for a generation of parliamentarians. Your contributions will be cherished for times to come,” she added.
Vice-president Hamid Ansari also showered praises on Mukherjee, saying his rich political legacy would inspire a generation of parliamentarians. “President Pranab has an unshakable belief in the idea of India. He has spoken about the plurality of our country and has preserved it,” said Ansari, whose term as V-P will come to an end next month.
The outgoing President left with a parting advice for MPs, the Opposition as well as the government. He said the governments should avoid taking the Ordinance route to promulgate a law it wants, and stressed that this option should be used only in "compelling circumstances".
Mukherjee said: “I am firm in my opinion that the Ordinance route should be used only in compelling circumstances and there should be no recourse to Ordinance in monetary matters. When legislation is passed without discussion it betrays the trust that people have in the Parliament.”
He also voiced concern over the disruption of proceedings in the Parliament and said, “I know that disruption hurts the Opposition more than the government as it denies them the opportunity to raise the concerns of the people.” He cited the implementation of Goods and Services Tax, and said it was an example of a mature democracy.
“It is unfortunate that the parliamentary time devoted to legislation has been declining. With the heightened complexity of administration, legislation must be preceded by scrutiny and adequate discussion,” he said.
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