'Tribute to power of democracy': President Droupadi Murmu takes charge

Aditi Tandon

New Delhi, July 25

History was made on Monday with India’s first tribal President and the youngest ever, Droupadi Murmu, taking the oath of office and hailing her election to the highest constitutional position as a “tribute to the power of Indian democracy”.

In the assumption speech delivered after Chief Justice of India NV Ramana administered her the oath of office in the name of God to preserve, protect and defend the Constitution and the law, President Murmu recalled her humble beginnings from Uperbeda, a tribal village of Odisha’s Mayurbhanj, and said her election was not a personal feat but the achievement of every poor person.

My election is proof that the poor in India can have dreams and fulfil these too. — Droupadi Murmu, India’s 15th President

“It is a tribute to the power of our democracy that a daughter born in a poor house in a remote tribal area can reach the highest constitutional position in India. That I attained the President’s post is not my personal achievement, it is the achievement of every poor person in India. My election is a proof that the poor in India can have dreams and fulfil these too,” the second woman President after Pratibha Patil said as the day capped her 25-year-long political journey dotted with tragedies and triumphs that took her from Odisha’s Rairangpur to Rashtrapati Bhavan at the Raisina Hill.

President Murmu’s 18-minute speech hailed India’s Covid response, its leadership of the world in environment protection, its readiness for the digital revolution and evoked frequent applause from the gathering featuring outgoing President Ram Nath Kovind, Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, ministers, Congress president Sonia Gandhi, Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik, among other dignitaries, at the Central Hall of Parliament.

“Johar, Namaskar”, the traditional tribal greeting set the tone for the President’s emphatic speech in which she stressed “collective efforts and duties” to take India forward and pledged to make the women and youth welfare top priorities of her presidency.

Acknowledging the fact that her elevation came at a historic time when India was marking 75 years of Independence and working to realise the vision for the next 25 years, Murmu (64) said, “In these 25 years, the path to attain the goals will proceed on two tracks – ‘Sabka prayas aur sabka kartavya’ (everyone’s effort and everyone’s duty).” She saluted the memory of freedom fighters and the contribution of tribal Santhal, Kol and Bheel movements to the struggle for Independence.

She arrived at her new residence to a ceremonial welcome marked by a 21-gun salute, inspection of the guard of honour and reception by top dignitaries led by the VP and PM Modi on the forecourt of Rashtrapati Bhavan.

President Murmu and her predecessor Ram Nath Kovind travelled in a bulletproof presidential limousine instead of the British-era buggy for all the ceremonial events today, from oath-taking at Parliament House in the morning and the ceremonial transition at the Rashtrapati Bhavan around noon to the customary seeing off by President of her predecessor to the latter’s new residence, 12 Janpath.

Ready to push bilateral ties: Xi

Chinese President Xi Jinping congratulated Droupadi Murmu on assuming office, saying he stood ready to work with her to push ties forward. The Presidents of Russia, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, the Maldives and Nepal were among the other world leaders who greeted President Murmu. TNS

Watershed moment for India

Her assuming the presidency is a watershed moment for India, especially for the poor, marginalised & downtrodden. — Narendra Modi, Prime Minister

Seating row at oath ceremony

Leader of the House in Rajya Sabha Piyush Goyal has accused the Congress of misleading people over seating arrangement for Mallikarjuna Kharge at the President’s oath ceremony in Parliament. Several Opposition leaders claimed that Kharge “was not accorded a seat commensurate with his position”.