NE NEWS SERVICE
CHENNAI, AUG 31
Tamil Nadu Governor Banwarilal Purohit, Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami and leaders cutting across party lines condoled the demise of former President Pranab Mukherjee on Monday and paid rich tributes to him.
Purohit said “he was an outstanding Parliamentarian, statesman par excellence and outstanding politician. Respected by everyone, he had tremendous knowledge of India’s polity and history and served the country with complete devotion and dedication in various capacities. He brought dignity to all the posts he held and worked diligently and tirelessly for the common man.”
Chief Minister Palaniswami praised Mukherjee for his yeoman service to the people through his long career as a member of both Houses of Parliament, as a Minister for Finance, Defence and External Affairs.
Deputy Chief Minister O Panneerselvam and Palaniswami, in a joint AIADMK statement, paid rich tributes to Mukherjee.
Stalin said Mukherjee’s hard work and capabilities took him from a village in West Bengal to the Rashtrapati Bhavan and with his death, India has lost a master “strategist” and a steadfast guardian of the basic features of the Constitution like secularism.
Tamil Nadu Congress Committee President K S Alagiri hailed him as one who stood behind the late Indira Gandhi in 1969 when the party witnessed a split and he was at the forefront in persuading Sonia Gandhi in 1998 to head the party.
PMK founder leader S Ramadoss said Mukherjee never compromised on India’s interests when he was the defence and external affairs minister.
BJP state unit President L Murugan, CPI State Secretary R Mutharasan, Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam General Secretary TTV Dhinakaran were among others who condoled Mukherjee’s death.
Country lost an able administrator, Puducherry Chief Minister Narayanasamy
Puducherry Chief Minister and senior Congress leader V Narayanasamy expressed grief over the demise of former president Pranab Mukherjee on Monday, describing him as an able administrator and his teacher in administrative matters.
Mukherjee, who died in New Delhi after prolonged illness, did not not have any rancour towards anybody and had developed close camaraderie among all irrespective political affiliations, he told a virtual press conference.
Narayanasamy said Mukherjee was an able administrator and had shown his skill and capability both while being Central Minister and also subsequently as President. He also referred to the concern the former president had for the welfare of the marginalised and the havenots.
Narayanasamy, a former union minister, recalled his close contact with Mukherjee and said he had drawn inspiration from him in administrative matters. “He was my teacher and his death has caused a vacuum,” the chief minister added. Welfare Minister M Kandasamy was among those who condoled death of Mukherjee.
