“In this land, we find a mix of states and regions, religions, languages, cultures, lifestyles and much more. We are so different and yet so similar and united,” said India's 14th President Ram Nath Kovind in his acceptance speech right after taking oath of office in the historical Central Hall of Parliament. Made in the presence of the Union Council of Ministers, members of both Houses of Parliament, governors, chief ministers, judges, former presidents and other invited dignitaries, the speech struck all the right chords, with the 71 year old mentioning plurality and togetherness of the nation.
Kovind, who took over the highest Constitutional post in the country from Pranab Mukherjee, is the first BJP leader and the second Dalit in the Rashtrapati Bhavan. He stressed on access and opportunities for the “last person and the last girl-child from an under-privileged family.” He said, “We have achieved a lot as a nation, but the effort to do more, to do better and to do faster should be relentless. This is especially so as we approach the 75th year of our independence in 2022.”
The change of guard began early Tuesday (July 25) morning, with Military Secretary to the President, Major General Anil Khosla arriving at Kovind's Akbar Road residence with a motorcade. He invited him and his wife Savita to the Rashtrapati Bhavan, where Mukherjee received them. A couple of hours later, the roles were reversed and President Kovind escorted Mukherjee out of the Rashtrapati Bhavan. The latter took a last salute of the President's Bodyguard (PBG), and later, both the leaders drove down Raisina Hill to the Central Hall of Parliament in the black presidential limousine, with Mukherjee in the right and Kovind on the left.
The entire route was lined with 1,000 jawans from all three services of the armed forces, offering the 'hazaar salaam' to the President. Both the leaders were also escorted by a grand equestrian procession by the PBG. The procession reached gate number five where they were received by Vice President Hamid Ansari, Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan, and Chief Justice of India JS Khehar. Home Secretary Rajiv Mehrishi read out the Election Commission notification on the presidential polls, initiating the oath ceremony. Justice Khehar then administered the oath of office to “preserve, protect, and defend the constitution and law”, and Kovind exchanged seats with Mukherjee.
Kovind addressed the gathering and spoke of his humble background saying he grew up in a mud house in a small village. “It is so telling of our nation and our society also. For all its problems, it follow this basic mantra,” he said. “I bow to the 125 crore citizens of this great nation and promise to stay true to the trust they have bestowed on me. I am conscious I am following in the footsteps of stalwarts such as Dr Rajendra Prasad, Dr S Radhakrishnan, Dr APJ Abdul Kalam, and my immediate predecessor, Pranab Mujherjee, whom we address out of affection as Pranabda.”
The former Bihar governor was born in Paraukh village of Kanpur, is also the first Uttar Pradesh-born President of India. In his address, he said, “Our Independence was the result of efforts by thousands of patriotic freedom fighters led by Mahatma Gandhi. Later, Sardar Patel integrated our nation. Principal architect of our Constitution, Babasaheb Ambedkar, instilled in us the value of human dignity and of the republican ethic. These leaders did not believe that simple political freedom was enough. For them, it was crucial to also achieve economic and social freedom for millions of our people.”
“We need to sculpt a robust, high-growth economy, an educated, ethical and shared community, and an egalitarian society, as envisioned by Mahatma Gandhi and Deen Dayal Upadhyayji. These are integral to our sense of humanism.”
