President Pranab Mukherjee gets nostalgic in farewell speech, says 'I leave with tinge of sadness and rainbow of memories'

Delhi: An emotional Pranab Mukherjee in his farewell speech as President said in Parliament on Sunday that he had tried to protect and defend the Constitution both in letter and in spirit.

He also remembered his 'mentor' and former prime minister Indira Gandhi as a 'towering personality'.

"In last five years, my principal responsibility was to function as the guardian of the Constitution. As I had said on oath, I strived to preserve, protect and defend our Constitution, not just in word but also in spirit. In this task, I greatly benefitted from the advice and cooperation extended by Prime Minister Narendra ​Modi at every step," he said.

Praising the current Prime Minister he said, "I will carry with me fond memories of my association with PM Modi and remember his warm and courteous behaviour towards me."

Recalling his days as a member of the House, the President said, "When I first entered the portals of this hallowed institution 48 years ago, I was only 34 years old. In July 1969, I came to this Parliament as a member of Rajya Sabha representing one of the six seats from the State of West Bengal. My election to Rajya Sabha took place on 4th July and the first session I attended began on July 22nd, 1969."

"Since then, for 37 years I served as a member of Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha. I am a creation of this Parliament whose political outlook and persona has been shaped by this temple of democracy. My long career has been instructive and educative. Listening to stalwarts for hours and days in Parliament, I understood the real value of debate, discussion and dissent," he added.

In his 20-minute speech, President Mukherjee also reminded the Parliamentarians of their duties.

"Indian Constitution not merely a legal document for administration but the Magna Carta of socio-economic transformation. Indian Constitution represents the hopes and aspirations of the billion plus Indians," the President pointed out.

"Recent passage of GST and its launch on 1st July is a shining example of co-operative federalism. With the heightened complexity of administration, legislation must be preceded by scrutiny and adequate discussion. Scrutiny in committees is no substitute to open discussion on the floor of the House. When Parliament fails to discharge its law-making role it breaches the trust reposed in it by the people," he told the Parliamentarians.

At the same time, the President said that the Ordinance route should not be taken on matters which are being considered or have been introduced in Parliament or pending before a House committee.

"If a matter is deemed urgent, the committee concerned should be made aware of the situation and should be mandated to present its report within a stipulated time," he said.

The President's remarks bear significance as after repeatedly failing to amend the Enemy Property Act, 1968 in last three years, the Modi government had promulgated five Ordinances.

The Bill was passed by Parliament in March.

Senior Union ministers were reportedly deputed to convince President Mukherjee to sign the fourth and fifth enemy property Ordinances as he was against promulgating them, as per PTI.

On the other hand, talking about the former Congress PM he said, "My career as a Parliamentarian was no doubt mentored by Indira Gandhi. Her steely determination, clarity of thought and decisive actions made her a towering personality."

President Mukherjee also narrated 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. 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'. After a few seconds of silence, there was laughter. Nobody after that asked a question about Emergency and the media persons melted away," he said.

On an emotional note he said, "As I retire from the office of the President of the Republic, my association with the Parliament also comes to an end. I will no longer be a part of the Parliament of India. It will be with a tinge of sadness and a rainbow of memories that I will be leaving this magnificent building today. Dear friends, with a sense of gratitude and a prayer in my heart, I take leave of you. I leave with a sense of fulfillment and happiness of having served the people of this great country through this institution- as their humble servant."

Eighty one-year-old Mukherjee was received by Vice President Hamid Ansari, PM Modi, Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ananth Kumar at Parliament for the farewell ceremony.

In her speech, Mahajan said, "This is a solemn occasion for each one of us to express our profound respect to President Mukherjee."

Ansari lauded the President for his "unshakable belief in the idea of India" and said he often appealed to the people to re-dedicate themselves to the democratic values of the country.

The hour-long function was attended by former PMs Manmohan Singh and HD Deve Gowda, Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, Union ministers, besides political leaders and MPs.

Attended the farewell for President Pranab Mukherjee at Parliament. @RashtrapatiBhvn pic.twitter.com/TDwKcH5Bde — Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) July 23, 2017

(With Agency inputs)