Pranab da held my hand and guided me like a father, says PM Modi

TIL Desk/National/New Delhi/ Days before Pranab Mukherjee demits office, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday voiced his deep admiration and emotional bonding with the outgoing president, saying he cared for him like a father would for his son.

Releasing a book, President Pranab Mukherjee – A Statesman, at the Rashtrapati Bhavan, Modi said he was fortunate that he could hold Mukherjee’s hand while trying to settle in Delhi, and that there was never a meeting between them in the last three years when the president did not treat him like a son.

“I am saying this from deep within. Like a father caring for his son…,” he said turning emotional.”Modi ji, you will have to rest for half day, Pranab da would say. ‘Why are you running around so much; you must cut down on your programmes. You will have to take care of your health.’

“It was during the UP polls that he told me that win and loss happen all the time but will you take care of your body or not? It was not part of his responsibilities as the president but it was the humane person inside him which cared for a friend,” the prime minister said. Mukherjee is an inspirational figure, he said as he recalled his association with people from different walks of life who made an impact on him. Mukherjee, too, expressed his “deep gratitude and appreciation” for Modi.