PM Modi condoles Pranab Mukherjee’s death, remembers him as ‘a scholar par excellence and a towering statesman’
Prime Minister Narendra Modi hailed Pranab Mukherjee’s role as the president of the country from 2012 until 2017 and said that he ensured that the common masses had more access to the Rashtrapati Bhavan.
Pranab Mukherjee made Rashtrapati Bhavan accessible to common citizens, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Monday as he paid his tribute to the former president--the “scholar par excellence and a towering statesman”.

Mukherjee died at 84 in a Delhi hospital.
“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,” the Prime Minister said in a series of tweets.
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Modi offered condolences to the late Congress veteran’s family, friends, admirers and supporters across India and said he will always cherish his interactions with Mukherjee.
“I was new to Delhi in 2014. From Day 1, I was blessed to have the guidance, support and blessings of Shri Pranab Mukherjee. I will always cherish my interactions with him. Condolences to his family, friends, admirers and supporters across India. Om Shanti,” he tweeted.
The Prime Minister hailed Mukherjee’s role as the president of the country from 2012 until 2017 and said he ensured that the common masses had more access to Rashtrapati Bhavan.
“As India’s President, Shri Pranab Mukherjee made Rashtrapati Bhavan even more accessible to common citizens. He made the President’s house a centre of learning, innovation, culture, science and literature. His wise counsel on key policy matters will never be forgotten by me,” Modi tweeted.
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Pranab Mukherjee underwent brain surgery on August 10 and had since been in a coma. He was admitted to the Army Hospital (R&R) in the Delhi Cantonment area where he was put on ventilator support after the surgery.
Earlier in the day, the hospital had issued a statement saying there was a decline in the condition of the former president’s health. He died in the evening at the hospital. The news was shared on Twitter by his son Abhijit Mukherjee.
