New Delhi: Former President Pranab Mukherjee passed away at Army’s Research and Referral (R&R) hospital on Monday. He was 84.
Having undergone life-saving emergency surgery for brain clot at R&R hospital on August 10, Mukherjee has since been on ventilator support.
He had also tested positive for COVID-19.
On August 19, he was diagnosed with a lung infection. Six days later, his renal parameters deteriorated.
His condition had declined from Sunday and he was in septic shock.
“There is a decline in the medical condition of Pranab Mukherjee since yesterday. He is in septic shock due to his lung infection and is being managed by team of specialists. He continues to be in deep coma and on ventilator support,” R&R hospital had said in a statement earlier.
A Bharat Ratna and Padma Vibhushan awardee, Mukherjee served as India’s President from 2012-17.
In a long political career, Mukherjee was a seven-time MP of the Congress party.
He first became general secretary of the Congress in 1998 and was a member of the Congress Working Committee for 23 years.
Known for his political acumen, ‘Chanakya’ Mukherjee worked under three Prime Ministers – Indira Gandhi, Narasimha Rao and Dr Manmohan Singh.
He was chief whip of the Congress Parliamentary Party at different times, and held a number of important portfolios in various Cabinets.
Many within the party considered him to be a prime ministerial candidate, but that didn’t materialise.
He is the only Finance minister to have presented budgets both before and after the landmark 1991 economic reforms. He also served as Defence and External Affairs ministers of the Government of India.
