NE NEWS SERVICE
NEW DELHI, JULY 25
Droupadi Murmu on Monday took oath as the 15th President of India. Chief Justice of India NV Ramana administered the oath of office to Murmu in the Central Hall of Parliament. Outgoing President Ram Nath Kovind and Murmu arrived in Parliament in a ceremonial procession shortly before the swearing in commenced. She is scheduled to deliver an address later.
- My election proves poor Indians can not just dream but also fulfil aspirations: President Murmu
- PM wishes President Droupadi Murmu a fruitful Presidential tenure
- Nitish Kumar skips swearing-in ceremony
Before leaving for the swearing-in ceremony, Murmu reached the Rashtrapati Bhavan, her home and office for the next five years, where she was welcomed by Kovind and his wife Savita.
The outgoing President had then escorted Murmu to the Presidential study for a brief meeting.
Earlier in the morning, Murmu paid tributes to the father of nation Mahatma Gandhi at Rajghat.
Rajya Sabha Chairman and Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, Members of the Council of Ministers, Governors, Chief Ministers, heads of diplomatic missions, MPs and principal civil and military officers of the government are in attendance at the swearing in ceremony.
My election proves poor Indians can not just dream but also fulfil aspirations: President Murmu
President Droupadi Murmu on Monday said her election to the top constitutional post proves that in India, the poor can not only dream but also fulfil those aspirations.
In her address after Chief Justice of India N V Ramana administered to her the oath as the 15th President of India, Murmu thanked all MPs and MLAs for electing her.
I have been elected during an important time when the country is marking 75 years of Independence, she noted.
“Reaching this office is not my personal achievement but that of all the poor people in the country,” Murmu said.
“My election is proof of the fact that in India, the poor can dream and also fulfil those dreams,” she said.
It is the power of India’s democracy that a girl born in a poor tribal home could reach the topmost constitutional post, Murmu added.
In her speech, the President stressed on speeding up efforts to meet the expectations that the freedom fighters had from the citizens of independent India.
PM wishes President Droupadi Murmu a fruitful Presidential tenure
The Prime Minister has wished President, Smt Droupadi Murmu a fruitful Presidential tenure. He said that her assumption of office is a watershed moment for India especially for the poor, marginalised and downtrodden. He also said that in her assumption speech, the President emphasised on India’s accomplishments and presented a futuristic vision of the path ahead at a time when India is marking Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav.
The Prime Minister tweeted: “The entire nation watched with pride as Smt. Droupadi Murmu Ji took oath as the President of India. Her assuming the Presidency is a watershed moment for India especially for the poor, marginalised and downtrodden. I wish her the very best for a fruitful Presidential tenure.”
“In her address after taking oath, President Droupadi Murmu Ji gave a message of hope and compassion. She emphasised on India’s accomplishments and presented a futuristic vision of the path ahead at a time when India is marking Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav.”
Nitish Kumar skips swearing-in ceremony
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar skipped the oath-taking ceremony of president Droupadi Murmu in the national capital.
Defending Kumar’s absence, Janata Dal-United parliamentary board chief Upendra Kushwaha asserted that the chief minister is not bound to attend all the events.
JD(U) had supported Murmu’s candidature in the presidential poll. When Murmu visited Patna for the election campaign, Nitish Kumar had pledged his party’s support to her. Going to an oath ceremony is just a formality. It is not necessary to attend every event. Since he had a lot of committments here in Bihar, he could not make it the national capital for the oath-taking ceremony. It is not a big issue. People should avoid paying attention to it,” Kushwaha said.
Responding to the proposed visit of BJP leaders Amit Shah and JP Nadda to Patna for a high-level meeting of the party ahead of Lok Sabha election 2024, Kushwaha stated: “In Bihar, Nitish Kumar is the biggest leader. It hardly matters for us if any top leader of another party is coming to Bihar.”
The statement of Kushwaha on Amit Shah indicates that all is not well between BJP and JD-U in Bihar.
He sharply reacted to the statement of BJP state president Sanjay Jaiswal as well. Jaiswal recently pointed out that Bihar is turning out to be new base for terrorists after security agencies have busted Phulwari Sharif suspected terror module of the Popular Front of India (PFI).
“If Sanjay Jaiswal has information about terrorist activities in Bihar, he should share the information with the chief minister or concernED officers of security agencies. The way he is giving statement in publically, he has so many information about the terrorist activities. If he failed to share the information with concerned officers or the chief minister, he would face the allegation of hiding the information,” Kushwaha said.