Scholar par excellence, towering statesman who always blessed me: PM Modi tribute to Mukherjee
New Delhi: Expressing grief over former president Pranab Mukherjee's demise, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday described him as a scholar par excellence and a towering statesman who was admired across the political spectrum.
Modi said Mukherjee has left an indelible mark on the nation's development trajectory.
Mukherjee, 84, died on Monday in an army hospital here, his son Abhijit Mukherjee said. He was admitted to the hospital on August 10.
In a series of tweets, the prime minister said Mukherjee in his decades-long political journey made long-lasting contributions in key economic and strategic ministries and that he was an outstanding parliamentarian, always well-prepared, extremely articulate as well as witty.
The prime minister recalled that Mukherjee, as the then President when he became prime minister for the first time, always supported and guided him.
"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," Modi said.
In his tweets, Modi also posted his pictures with Mukherjee, including one in which he is seen touching the then president's feet.
As India's President, Mukherjee made Rashtrapati Bhavan even more accessible to common citizens, Modi noted, adding that 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 him, the prime minister said.
"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," he said.
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Rickelton's ton in vain as SRH beat MI by 6 wickets
Mumbai (PTI): Ryan Rickelton's whirlwind unbeaten ton was overshadowed by Heinrich Klaasen's unbeaten 65 as Sunrisers Hyderabad defeated Mumbai Indians by six wickets in an IPL match here on Wednesday.
Chasing an imposing 244-run target, Travis Head (76 off 30) and Abhishek Sharma (45 off 24) shared 129 runs for the opening wicket to set the platform for SRH.
Klaasen (65 not out off 30 balls) then displayed his all-round hitting abilities to guide SRH home with the help of Nitish Kumar Reddy (21) and Salil Arora (30 not out off 10) in 18.4 overs.
Earlier, Rickelton's knock powered MI to 243 for five.
MI rode on a 93-run stand between Rickelton (123 not out off 55 balls) and Will Jacks (46 off 22) in 7.1 overs for the opening stand to power the side.
MI skipper Hardik Pandya scored a valuable 31 off 15 balls before being dismissed.
Praful Hinge (2/54), Eshan Malinga (1/29), Sakib Hasan (1/39) and Nitish Kumar Reddy (1/31) were the wicket-takers for SRH.
Brief Scores:
Mumbai Indian: 243 for 5 in 20 overs (Ryan Rickelton 123 not out; Praful Hinge 2/54).
Sunrisers Hyderabad: 249 for 4 in 18.4 overs (Travis Head 76, Heinrich Klaasen 65 not out; AM Ghazanfar 2/51).
