25th July, 2012, New Delhi: On Wednesday, Pranab Mukherjee, the former Congress man, become the 13th President of India. The sworn-in ceremony began at the Central hall of the Parliament at 11.30 am.
In his acceptance speech, the President of India told, “The principal responsibility of this office is to function as the guardian of our Constitution. I will strive, as I said on oath, to preserve, protect and defend our Constitution not just in word but also in spirit,”
“I am deeply moved by the high honour you have accorded to me. Such honour exalts the occupant of this office, even as it demands that he rises above personal or partisan interests in the service of the national good,”
“There is no greater reward for a public servant than to be elected the first citizen of our republic,”
“A modern nation is built on some basic fundamentals: democracy or equal rights for every citizen; secularism or equal freedom to every faith; equality of every region and language; gender equality and perhaps most important of all economic equity. For our development to be real, the poorest of our land must feel that they are part of the narrative of rising India,” said Mukherjee.
