We condole and mourn the demise of the former president of India, Bharat Ratna  Pranab Mukherjee. Seven-day mourning was announced by the Narendra Modi government in honor of the departed dignitary.

Pranabda served as the 13th President of India from 2012 until 2017 with exemplary presidential and constitutional dignity. In a political career spanning five decades, Mukherjee was a senior leader in the Indian National Congress and occupied several ministerial portfolios in the Government of India. Prior to his election as President, Mukherjee was Union Finance Minister from 2009 to 2012. He was awarded India’s highest civilian honor, the Bharat Ratna.

Pranab Da enjoyed bipartisan respect from the two major political parties, the BJP and the Congress, which were in office during his presidency. PM Modi enjoyed the complete confidence of President Mukherjee with frequent formal, informal dialogue and sought his guidance from time to time. The personal rapport between the President and the Prime Minister is very critical for smooth governance, parliamentary democracy, and legislative functioning of the government of the day in a non-partisan manner.

PM Modi did not see Pranab Da through the political filter of his antecedents of being a congressman, for the latter had accepted his constitutional and non-partisan authority to maintain equidistance with the BJP and Congress. Modi was a parachute drop when he was sworn in as PM in 2014. He said that Prandba Da guided him by handholding to deal with the complexities of parliamentary politics as a father figure. He had no firsthand experience of the parliamentary dynamics and needed to steer through various parliamentary conventions, protocols and complex rules. He relied upon Pranab Da for guidance.

Pranav Da, in an interview, mentioned that Mr. Modi is a visionary, hardworking leader, determined to achieve the most difficult objective relentlessly. So much so Modi always touched his feet and treated Pranav Da as a father figure. I have no hesitation to say that both of them enjoyed father-son relationship without influencing each other in the functioning of parliamentary democracy and government. India benefited with this ideal equation.

It needs to be mentioned that Pranab Da was equally critical in criticizing the NDA government on different occasions without any hesitation and bothering about the relationship with PM Modi.

Bharat Ratna

Mr. Modi enjoyed direct relationship with Pranab Da without bureaucratic protocols.  Pranab Da said that Prime Minister Modi called to ask for my acceptance at 6 p.m. on January 25, 2019, and said that the normal practice is for him to come personally and take my consent, but he was busy with the visit of the South African President on the eve of Republic Day. However, the Prime Minister wanted the Bharat Ratna to be announced on that same evening, for Republic Day, and he needed my assent before he could advise the President to issue the notification. Mr. Modi’s reverence and relationship with Pranab Da led to the award of Bharat Ratna.

There was admirably mutual respect between the PM and President Pranab Da

What Pranab Da thought of PM Narendra Modi

On July 23, 2017, in his farewell speech, Pranbh Da said, “In these five years, my principal responsibility was to function as the guardian of the Constitution. I greatly benefited from the advice and co-operation extended by Prime Minister Modi at every step. With passion and energy, he is driving transformational changes in the country. I will carry with me fond memories of our association and his warm and courteous behavior.”

Pranab Da in the India Today conclave on March 17 praised Mr. Modi as a fast learner. “One can win the election by a majority but you need consensus to rule. This aspect of PM Modi is very good. PM Modi has his own way of dealing with things and we must give him credit for that.”

However, he also reminded everyone to take guard against majoritarianism at a time when BJP has emerged as the largest and most powerful party in the country. “In a Parliamentary democracy, we must always guard against majoritarianism. Those in power must involve and take the entire nation along with them at all times,” Pranab Da said.

On March 2, at the K.S Rajamony memorial lecture in Kochi, Pranb Da said there is no room for the intolerant Indian; Pranab Da was candid in his expression in guiding the government. He reminded the Centre without naming Mr. Modi: “We must be conscious of the fact that our democracy requires constant nurturing. At no cost should we allow the exploitation of the fault lines. Those who spread violence must remember that Buddha, Ashoka and Akbar are remembered as heroes in history; not Hitler or Changez Khan.”

He continued: “There should be no room in India for the intolerant Indian. India has been since ancient times a bastion of free thought, speech and expression. Our society has always been characterized by the open contestation of diverse schools of thought and debate as well as discussion. Freedom of speech and expression is one of the most important fundamental rights guaranteed by our Constitution. There must be space for legitimate criticism and dissent.”

On January 25, Pranab Da praised demonetization and said that it is good initiative of the Centre and also PM Modi’s electoral reform vision in Parliament. Demonetization, while immobilizing black money and fighting corruption, may have led to temporary slowdown of economic activity. “As more and more transactions become cashless, it will improve the transparency of the economy.”

It will not be out of place to mention that Pranab Mukherjee attended and spoke during the closing ceremony of ‘Tritiya Varsha Sangh Shiksha Varg’, an RSS event to mark the conclusion of a three-year training camp for Swayamsevaks in Nagpur. Undoubtedly, it was the most admirable gesture by an erstwhile Congress man.

Conclusion

Most admirably, PM Modi and Pranab Da enjoyed mutual respect and constructive relationship in the most harmonious manner. They addressed their differences constitutionally with great dignity, and established the most robust parliamentary practices including constructive criticism. They resolved many differences constructively and delivered various legislations. At the same time, Pranab Da cautioned against the ordinance route. It is indeed an ideal model and benchmark on the desirable relationship between the PM and President of India in discharging their constitutional duties, to be followed by the successive governments in India.