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Pranab's last walk out of North Block

DNMUM248290 | 6/27/2012 | Author : Kakoli Chatterjee & Parsa Venkateshwar Rao Jr | WC :551 | Politics & Governance

Emotion gets better of Pranab as he walks out of his North Block office for the last time
Race for Raisina Hill
As finance minister Pranab Mukherjee walked out of his North Block office for the last time a little after 4.30 pm on Tuesday, he was nostalgic about his days in the ministry.
He warded off questions from journalists when he read out a written statement, saying, "I know you have many questions but today, my very last day in the finance ministry, is not the time to open up new dialogues." He said that he felt a "tinge of sentiment at the thought of leaving behind my life as a political activist, spanning over four decades".
Keeping in mind the general sentiments of the legacy he is leaving behind he admitted that not every decision he has taken may have been right. "But I have taken those decisions always
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keeping in mind those simple and poor people I knew from my childhood."
Before leaving for 7 Race Course Road to submit his resignation from the Union Cabinet to prime minister Manmohan Singh and to embark on a new journey he recalled the humble background he hailed from. "I have travelled a great distance in my life but I always remind myself that I was born in a remote village in Bengal," he said.
The Chanakya of the political world did not miss out thanking those outside of the Congress and the UPA who are helping him to reach Raisina Hill, namely the SP, BSP, JD(U), Shiv Sena, CPI(M) and the Forward Bloc.
While talking about the media and his interaction with them, he said on a lighter note, "I will also miss not being stopped while getting into my car and getting out of my car in front of the ministry of finance by you all."
The day began with like any other. He went through his morning puja. At office, he cleared the files for the day, met all the officials and bid goodbye. He did not miss his afternoon nap. When he woke up around 4.30 pm, the ministry officials lined up outside his door waiting for him. The top brass walked into his room to bid farewell. They were followed by the waiting journalists.
This was not the usual media interaction: It was a private moment for the media with Mukherjee who is stepping out to fight the presidential election. The media persons eagerly crowded around him as camera men clicked and an indulgent Mukherjee stood there in the middle of it all, quite patient and smiling. As the mobile phone cameras clicked away, he observed, "It has now become easy to take pictures."
The minister's aide pointed out that this was the third time that Mukherjee was leaving the finance ministry. He was a minister of state for finance when he left the office after the Congress' defeat in 1977 after the Emergency. He walked out in 1984 as finance minister after the assassination of prime minister Indira Gandhi. And 28 years later he walked out one last time on Tuesday.
During the day, he had a surprise visitor. Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi spent two hours with Mukherjee. He came to see the senior Congress leader and presidential candidate about 1.30 pm and was there till 3.30 pm. It is learnt that Mukherjee shared his memories of Indira Gandhi with her grandson.