Former President Of India Who Wanted To Become PM

Former President of India who wanted to become Prime Minister: Goodbye Pranab Mukherjee. Former President of India Pranab Mukherjee, who has a keen hold on Indian politics, will be remembered as a person who could have been the Prime Minister of the country, but ultimately his political journey ended up reaching Rashtrapati Bhavan. In 2012, after four decades of long political tenure, Pranab Mukherjee became the first citizen of the country.

Mukherjee was the 13th President of the country from 2012 to 2017. He also took many important decisions during his presidency. His access to this position was not easy. In fact, the choice of UPA President Sonia Gandhi for the post of President was Hamid Ansari. But Pranab Dada was the choice of many regional political parties, including the Samajwadi Party. It also showed that despite political differences Pranab da had acceptance among all political parties.

That dream of Pranab da remained unfulfilled

However, Pranab da’s dream of becoming President remained incomplete, for which there was always discussion in political circles. It was well known that Pranab Mukherjee was the strongest and biggest contender for the post of Prime Minister within the UPA and the Congress Party. For this reason, he was also called PM in waiting.

But in his luck, the address of Rashtrapati Bhavan was written, not the seven Race Course Road. In his book “The Coalition Years – 1996 – 2012” written on his journey, Pranab Mukherjee himself revealed that he wanted to become Prime Minister. In his book “The Coalition Years”, Mukherjee admitted that in May 2004, when Congress President Sonia Gandhi refused to become Prime Minister, he hoped that he would get the post.

He wrote, “Finally she (Sonia) put forward the name of Dr. Manmohan Singh as his choice and he accepted it. At that time, everyone expected that I would be the next choice as Prime Minister after Sonia Gandhi refused. ”Mukherjee had admitted that he had joined Manmohan Singh’s cabinet in the initial phase. Refused but later agreed to Sonia Gandhi’s request.

Made an indelible mark as president

Even as President, he made an indelible mark. During this time he took a strict stand on mercy petitions. 34 mercy petitions came before him and 30 of them were rejected. These include the hanging of Ajmal Kasab, the 2008 Mumbai attack convict, and Afzal Guru, the prime accused in the 2001 Parliament attacks. Mukherjee, who has made himself known as the President of the people, will also be remembered for the steps taken to take the Rashtrapati Bhavan closer to the public. He opened its doors to the public and also built a museum.