Congress President Sonia Gandhi expressed shock at the demise of former President Pranab Mukherjee and said she had many warm memories of working with him and had learnt a lot from him.
“Though your revered father had been critically ill for some days, it still comes as a great shock to learn of his passing,” Gandhi wrote in a letter to Mukherjee's daughter Sharmishtha.
She noted that he had been “such an integral and prominent part of national life, the Congress party and the central government for over five decades.”
She said it was hard to imagine how she and Mukherjee's other political colleagues could do without his wisdom, experience, sage advice and deep understanding of many subjects.
“He brought distinction to every post he held, he established a genuine rapport with colleagues across the political spectrum, and he served our country with the utmost dedication,” Gandhi wrote.
Paying rich tributes to Mukherjee, she said his life over the past 50 years mirrored 50 years of the history of India, noting that he played a crucial role both in shaping the course of events as well as actively participating in them, whether as a cabinet minister, parliamentarian or President of India.
“I personally have so many warm memories of my working with him, and I learnt so much from him. The Congress party deeply mourns his loss and will always honour his memory,” she said.
“Pranabda has now been released from his suffering. May his soul rest in peace,” she wrote to Sharmishtha.
Former prime minister Dr Manmohan Singh also issued his condolences on Mukherjee's passing.
"In his death, our country has lost one of its greatest leaders of Independent India. He and I worked very closely in the Government of India and I depended on him a great deal for his wisdom, vast knowledge and experience of public affairs," Singh said.
"I wish to convey to all members of his family, my deepest condolences on this sad occasion," he said.
