New Delhi: Former president Pranab Mukherjee passed away Monday at the age of 84, and tributes poured in for him, from all quarters.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah led the way with the condolence messages.
India grieves the passing away of Bharat Ratna Shri Pranab Mukherjee. He has left an indelible mark on the development trajectory of our nation. A scholar par excellence, a towering statesman, he was admired across the political spectrum and by all sections of society. pic.twitter.com/gz6rwQbxi6
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) August 31, 2020
Deeply anguished on the passing away of former President of India, Bharat Ratna Shri Pranab Mukherjee ji. He was a vastly experienced leader who served the nation with utmost devotion. Pranab da’s distinguished career is a matter of great pride for the entire country.
— Amit Shah (@AmitShah) August 31, 2020
President Ram Nath Kovind also paid tribute to his predecessor.
Sad to hear that former President Shri Pranab Mukherjee is no more. His demise is passing of an era. A colossus in public life, he served Mother India with the spirit of a sage. The nation mourns losing one of its worthiest sons. Condolences to his family, friends & all citizens.
— President of India (@rashtrapatibhvn) August 31, 2020
Congress’ Rahul Gandhi and former spokesperson Sanjay Jha also expressed their grief at the passing of the veteran Congress leader.
With great sadness, the nation receives the news of the unfortunate demise of our former President Shri Pranab Mukherjee.
I join the country in paying homage to him.
My deepest condolences to the bereaved family and friends. pic.twitter.com/zyouvsmb3V
— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) August 31, 2020
Long before the 1991 economic reforms he saw the enormous potential of foreign investment and thus allowed NRI's to acquire equity in Indian companies ( 1982).
A brilliant political career in India's most turbulent political phases. #PranabMukherjee was extraordinary. RIP, Sir!
— Sanjay Jha (@JhaSanjay) August 31, 2020
Mukherjee’s daughter, Congress leader Sharmistha Mukherjee quoted his favourite poet in her tweet.
“সবারে আমি প্রনাম করে যাই”
I bow to all?Baba, taking the liberty to quote from your favourite poet to say your final goodbye to all.
You have led a full, meaningful life in service of the nation, in service of our people.
I feel blessed to have been born as your daugher. pic.twitter.com/etYfZXzZ1j
— Sharmistha Mukherjee (@Sharmistha_GK) August 31, 2020
Actor Aamir Khan also joined countless others in paying respects to ‘Pranab da’.
Pranabda ? rest in peace ?
— Aamir Khan (@aamir_khan) August 31, 2020
US presidential candidate Joe Biden shared a nostalgic picture with the late former president.
President Shri Pranab Mukherjee was a devout public servant who believed deeply in the importance of our two nations tackling global challenges together. Jill and I are saddened to hear of his passing — our prayers go out to his loved ones and the Indian people. pic.twitter.com/SJfaDEKjGi
— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) September 1, 2020
In other big news, the Indian economy contracted by a record 23.9 per cent in the first quarter of 2020-21, its sharpest quarterly contraction in the April-June period.
Congress leader Karti Chidambaram took a jibe at Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman after announcement of the contraction.
All is well @nsitharaman https://t.co/U3TVPastpz
— Karti P Chidambaram (@KartiPC) August 31, 2020
And Congress’ Kapil Sibal reminded PM Modi of the elusive promise of ‘acche din‘.
GDP : Minus 23.9%
मोदी जी क्या आपको याद है :
अच्छे दिन
सब का साथ सब का विकास
आपने कांग्रेस को साठ साल दिये मुझे सिर्फ़ साठ महीने दोपकोड़े तलने का वक्त आ गया है
वो भी नहीं बिकेंगे !
सिर्फ़ भाषण
ज़ीरो शासन— Kapil Sibal (@KapilSibal) September 1, 2020
Retired IPS officer Dr N.C. Asthana proved how ignorance is bliss.
जीडीपी के गिरने की बिलकुल चिंता न करें. चढ़ना उतरना जीवन का धर्मं है. भगवान में आस्था रखिये. तुलसीदास जी कह ही गए हैं, हानि लाभ जीवन मरण जस अपजस बिधि हाथ. जो जीडीपी गिरने से विचलित हो रहे हैं, उनकी आस्था संदिग्ध है.
याद रखें, देश आगे बढ़ रहा है.— Dr. N. C. Asthana, IPS (Retd) (1986-2019) (@NcAsthana) August 31, 2020
Congress leader Shashi Tharoor shared poet Dushyant Kumar’s lines on how to get rid of the ‘lotus’.
“अब तो इस तालाब का पानी बदल दो
ये कमल के फूल कुम्हलाने लगे हैं”!#दुष्यंत_कुमार की यह पंक्तियाँ कहीं आज के सत्ताधारी पर तो नहीं? pic.twitter.com/l9NfJjSwAq
— Shashi Tharoor (@ShashiTharoor) September 1, 2020
Spiritual guru Acharya Pramod took a dig at the government’s decision to continue with NEET- JEE, despite intense protest by students.
NEET-JEE की “परीक्षा”
होने जा रही है,बेटी हो या बेटा सब अपना अपना ख़याल रखियेगा,क्यूँ कि “सरकार”
की कोई “औलाद”
नहीं होती.— Acharya Pramod (@AcharyaPramodk) August 31, 2020
And there was a lesson in irony by comedian Vir Das.
*of
— Vir Das (@thevirdas) August 31, 2020
Kerala Finance Minister Isaac Thomas showed the way towards self-reliance.
Happy Onam! We celebrate Mahabali who did not discriminate by caste or creed , not Vamana who cheated him.This edition of harvest festival has something to celebrate. Kerala has announced floor prices for 14 types of vegetables in its drive for self sufficiency in vegetables.
— Thomas Isaac (@drthomasisaac) August 31, 2020
Meanwhile, Rahul Gandhi continued to highlight the BJP-Facebook nexus, which was first reported by the Wall Street Journal.
International media have fully exposed Facebook’s & WhatsApp's brazen assault on India's democracy & social harmony.
No one, let alone a foreign company, can be allowed to interfere in our nation's affairs.
They must be investigated immediately & when found guilty, punished. pic.twitter.com/5tRw797L2y
— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) September 1, 2020
Looks like political analyst Sumanth Raman asked the right question in the wrong place.
Please tell me if what I said was right. https://t.co/dqKkzW2dsL
— Sumanth Raman (@sumanthraman) August 31, 2020
And finally, New York Times bestseller list, where art thou?
I cannot believe that not a single Linkedin profile has yet won a literary award. They are amongst the finest fiction produced in this country.
— Joy Bhattacharjya (@joybhattacharj) September 1, 2020