Pranab Mukherjee: A statesman of the coalition era

Pranab Mukherjee held most of the important government positions in the country, including the most exalted one of the President, though many people and perhaps he himself thought that he was eminently suitable for the most important of them, which is the office of the Prime Minister. There were other leaders, too, who were eligible to become PM but did not. But Mukherjee, like another leader from Bengal, came close to it but did not make it. That did not diminish him but added to his image. He was commerce minister, finance minister, defence minister, external affairs minister and a minister without portfolio at different times, and also held other positions. That shows the range and diversity that his mind had. He was considered most suitable for all of the positions and was, in fact, the master of the remit in every one of them, though there could be differences of opinion over the merits of some of the decisions he made and the policies he adopted in those positions.

He was also a teacher, a scholar, a journalist and an able parliamentarian. Persons with multiple tastes and talents are a disappearing breed now, especially among politicians. Mukherjee had a prodigious intellect and information and, importantly, control over the information. He could use these gifts to make an impact on the ministerial and other official positions he held and to make a success of the political missions he often had to undertake, mainly towards the end of his political career. He was often the trouble-shooter for the Congress party in dealing with its allies and with recalcitrant leaders. He had the right mind and abilities of a coalition person in a coalition era, who could make a compromise out of difficult and conflicting positions and situations. That ability comes not just from shrewdness and negotiating skills but from a state of mind that looks for agreement in disagreement, amiability in hostility and consensus over divisions.

That made him grow into a statesman through his long career. He was the quintessential Congressman but did not have any conflict with the BJP government, which came to respect him and even consulted him. He did not compromise on his values, beliefs and positions and stuck to them, and was not shy of asserting them within the framework of the powers of the President. He had the best relations with the government and had friends in all parties. It is a measure of his acceptability and stature that the BJP government honoured him with the country's highest civilian award of Bharat Ratna. The country will be the poorer for his absence.