The job comes with a monthly salary of INR150,000 and an increment of INR40,000 over the cabinet minister’s current take-home salary. He will be residing in the 340-room Rashtrapati Bhavan. It was built by Edwin Lutyens, using 700 million bricks (140 times more than those used at the entire Moen Jo Daro site which has 5 million visible bricks), three million cubic feet of stone and, remarkably, little or no steel.
I think the Rashtrapati Bhavan is quite ugly and has a hotchpotch design. It is not Grecian classical, for it has columns but no pediment. Neither, despite its dome and sandstone, does it look particularly Indian. It is not a memorable building and cannot be imagined easily, unlike the much smaller White House. Writer Sunil Khilnani observed that it was also located in the wrong place, being too recessed to be seen from Rajpath, the long road that leads up to it.
But Mukherjee will be right man in the wrong place.
The current debate is whether the president of India should be a political figure or not. I say he should be. The office of president does not have much power and school textbooks use the word “figurehead” to describe him. However, the office has acquired a real dignity over time and when the president says something it is taken seriously.
The one real slap to the BJP on its conduct in Gujarat came only with an interview of former president KR Narayanan. He said: “There has been government participation in Gujarat riots. I had sent several letters to then Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee and also talked to him. But he did not do anything effective… How many instances of the serial killings could have been avoided if the army had resorted to shooting against rioters? The slaughter could have been avoided if the army was given the freedom to stem the riots.” The Supreme Court became active on the issue after this, and a string of convictions has come about in the last few months.
It is important that the president be a politician, because the job often requires knowledge of how things work, as in the instance of Gujarat.
Mukherjee has no equal in the Lok Sabha today to match his experience. Along with Manmohan Singh, he also stands out for his sobriety and maturity. I think he will make a much better president than the other man being considered, vice-president Hamid Ansari.
The last president was a political figure but picked not because of her talent, but because of her gender. Pratibha Patil was India’s first female president and her term was quite unremarkable. She isn’t particularly bright and has said or done nothing of note. Her family, especially her son, took advantage of her office to help them along in their career. Like another president, Shankar Dayal Sharma, she got into trouble when she leaned on the state to get her a retirement house.
Patil loved being photographed in warplanes and tanks. I find this off-putting if not downright offensive. India’s presidents would better serve us if they were photographed highlighting things like sweeping neighbourhoods and teaching children in village schools rather than the state’s martial aspects.
India’s president before her, the apolitical APJ Abdul Kalam, got his fame from setting off atom bombs. Many think that much good came of his presidency. I think he was quite undistinguished and not the right candidate. His fantasy was India becoming a developed nation by 2020. He had nothing to say about the social reasons as to why this is impossible and it took the middle class focus away from India’s pressing problems, which are still with us.
In that sense, Pranab Mukherjee, who has been finance minister and foreign minister has a much better idea about what is wrong with India and what our focus as a nation should be. I think he will make a fine president and giving him the job will also be a good end to a long and distinguished career in politics.
Published in The Express Tribune, May 6th, 2012.
COMMENTS (22)
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@Shakir Lakhani: . I don't think that India will ever have a "Head of State" like Pakistan's First Governor General. . Cheers
@jagjit sidhoo: You hit the nail. In 2014 there may be a hung parliament. If Pranab Mukherjee is the President he would ask Congress to form the government and prove majority in three months. Congress has enough skills and resources to buy MPs to prove majority. Here the ulterior of Congress is to have some Presidential advantage in a hung parliament in 2014.
I think the much experienced Pranab Mukherjee should be kept in reserve for Prime Minister.s post if UPA comes to power after the next elections.......though I hope it does not and in that case he will be an excellent leader of opposition in Parliament. Judging from what guidelines have been set by our founding fathers in the Constitution for the President both APJ Abdul Kalam & Karan Singh seem excellent choices.
@Shakir Lakhani
But thats a whole another debate about Presidential system vs Parliamentary system. India at least is not ready for a presidential system of governance yet - or will ever be.
Why should the president be a useless figurehead? Why not have him elected directly by the people? That way, at least he'll have some powers and would command respect (unlike the Bhutto-era Pakistani President Choudhry Fazal Elahi, who said that no one would listen to him even if he shouted four-letter abusive words at the top of his voice!).
I wonder how APJ Kalam became to be known as people's president, if he was not effective. APJ Kalam did everything Mr. Patel wants Presidents to do ...APJ inspired indian people. I am 30 yrs old and in my life..I would say APJ kalam was the best president we had.
Pranab would also make a better president.
Wait for the Sonia Trump.Pranab da will be PM candidate! hamid Ansari is going to be next Prez.
President of India doesn't have Executive powers on its own. President has to concur what Executive arm of Parliament recommends. Hence, it doesn't matter qualification or looks or competency of person holding the post of President in India. What have been achievements of various Presidents since 1947, while holding post of President..? Post of Prez is ceremonial in nature..!! It is sad political parties ( all included Left, right and center) & media are playing games..by showing support to some individual or opposing some individual..while each individual has played important role in public otherwise..!
My first second and third choice Kalam
Kalam is the right choice & more respected among the people. We don't need any chanakya as President to help the ruling party at the crisis management. We want somebody more honest & sincere in his duties
This is the first article from Akar Patel that disappointed me. At least Kalam has a vision. He has achieved something for the country. What has been the contribution of Pranab or Hamid Ansaari as compared to Kalam ?
Good piece
In that sense, Pranab Mukherjee, who has been finance minister and foreign minister has a much better idea about what is wrong with India and what our focus as a nation should be. (Author)
Why raise expectations? All such who get elevated are expected to "rise to their level of incompetence", to paraphrase Peter Principle. President by definition has to be the one with all the ceremonial trappings of an Entity permanently trapped in to being a Nonentity. To that extent, Sunil Khilnani's observation is appropriate for the tenant of the 'House that Edwin built' that he should remain unobtrusive. An activist President is the one you don't need & Sonia if she has any sense should veto Pranab out of the race if she suspects him to be so. OTOH, may be this man who once used to be a pipe smoking suave epicure has earned a sinecure now as a party loyalist,if elected, and if he promises to speak only when he is spoken to. Regarding the rest, what he couldn't do much about as a Cabinet minister or Leader of the House, he can not do now anyway as a parrot with clipped wings living in the cage wrought by Lutyens.
Why is this important enough to be published in Dawn? President's position in India is largely ceremonial.
Mr Patel your views/thoughts may not be the views/thoughts of entire India. If you see something against your views happening like Mr.Kalam became the president of India, that is what nation wants hence he had become president. So please respect others views as well.
He is a loyal Gandhi family man who is being placed as President as he may be useful to the family at the time of govt formation after the 2014 elections. Those are the hard facts the rest is all jargon .
Nice thought provoking article. As the author pointed out, the president is a constitutional figure head with little powers other than ratifying the bills passed in the house and by the states. His post is ceremonial, though he is the supreme commander of the armed forces. My preference for the presidency in descending order would be APJ Abdul Kalam, Pranab Mukarjee and Hamid Ansari. APJ AK has already been at the helm once, and Hamid Ansari is too Mild. So if not APJ I would wish Pranab be made the president. As the author pointed out, India needs some one who can manuvoure its interests in the 21st century tactfully, after all every body is a friend. And though pranab comes with the political millage, he is matured enough not to indulge in petty politics like some governors to please the party bosses. As for VP Hamid Ansari, he can be given a second term at the Vice Presidency. Rgds Pr
i always think that if president of india does not have much power, what is the purpose of the existance of this post. and this thought become more intense after reading various news of current president.
Pranab Da is being sidelined to make way for Rahul Vinci Ghandi.
The actual text of that section of KR Narayanan's interview that you have skilfully edited was as follows: "I gave several letters to Prime Minister Vajpayee in this regard on this issue. I met him personally and talked to him directly. But Vajpayee did not do anything effective. I requested him to send the army to Gujarat and suppress the riots. The military was sent, but they were not given powers to shoot. If the military was given powers to shoot at the perpetrators of violence, recurrence of tragedies in Gujarat could have been avoided." Your embellishments are the references to serial killing, slaughter etc - naturally it makes better reading. But moving on to Pranab Mukherjee and your support for his candidature, you say the following: In that sense, Pranab Mukherjee, who has been finance minister and foreign minister has a much better idea about what is wrong with India and what our focus as a nation should be. By this, I assume that the President is now going to advise the nation on fiscal and foreign policy? Why don't you read the constitution before you right these articles in foreign papers? Your assumption also seems to be that apolitical can be equated with naive. A recent poll conducted by ToI showed that 64% of the those polled felt that Dr. APJ Abul Kalam would be a better President. Given the ornamental nature of the position, what we need is a head of state who is respected by the people of the country, not one who makes the ruling party confident of his or her support. Another (now) predictably disappointing article.