President Pranab Mukherjee has demitted a few hours back. His presidency  was the culmination of extraordinary career of a political leader. India has seen  a few politicians like him who had the capacity to evolve into a statesman  irrespective of their political affiliation and the office that they held. Pranabda is  one such leader who brought dignity to every office that he held. 

 My first contact with him started when he, along with Dr Manmohan Singh, was  occupying the Opposition benches during the Vajpayee Government. He  chaired important Standing Committees which had the responsibility of clearing  several legislations. Three of them were important Constitution amendments.    One related to the freezing of seats in the Lok Sabha and the State  Legislatures despite demographic changes in several States. The second  involved review of the Anti-Defection Law. The third one dealt with limiting the  size of the Council of Ministers both in the Centre and the States. His  Committee expeditiously considered these amendments and improved upon the drafts that the Government had prepared and produced a much better document. He evolved a consensus on all these issues. Even in Opposition, he was never an obstructionist. He was a product of the parliamentary system and favoured using Parliament for larger national interest. 

In his later years, I closely observed him both as a Member and subsequently as a Leader of the Opposition. His natural ability was to rise above partisan arguments. In Parliament, he almost spoke like an amicus curiae — a friend of the House, rather than a party leader. This quality enabled him to evolve a consensus in favour of the argument that he advanced. Very rarely did he lose his cool, but if he did, he was smiling a minute later and making up with his target through some complimentary references.

He had a great sense of history which blended with his vision of constitutional propriety. The democrat in him insisted that the Government and the Opposition had to work in tandem on major issues. He could recollect parliamentary and judicial precedents to decide which was the right course that had to be pursued.

  As President, he was unquestionably the guardian of the Constitution. He realised   that in a democracy there could only be one power centre i.e. elected Government   and the Prime Minister.

  He, therefore, actively associated with two different Governments during his      presidency with equal ease. He ensured that all decisions of the Council of      Ministers had to conform to constitutional propriety. On some occasions, he  wanted to be satisfied before he accorded his approval to those decisions. I was  usually sent to interact with him. He was always well prepared on facts, on  Constitutional requirements and the need for fairness. These essentials had to be  balanced with the requirement of the aid and advice of the Council of Ministers  being forwarded to him. This delicate balance he maintained throughout his tenure.  He always accepted the advice of the Council of Ministers. 

 Pranabda exhibited a unique charm which won him many admirers. He made dealing with him a matter of delight. He put all his interlocutors at ease. He grew in stature with each day. His transformation from a senior Minister to a President was exemplary. As President he was completely non-partisan and conducted himself as an advisor and a guide to his Governments. He owned up the programmes of the Government and became their advocate. He once told me that he had the unique privilege of moving before Parliament the Constitution amendment of Good and Services Tax. He wanted to approve the Constitution amendment during his tenure as the President. It gave him great satisfaction when he did so.

He exited from the Rashtrapati Bhawan with a great stature. He will now assume a greater role of advising and guiding the nation as an amicus curiae which he always was.
(The writer is Finance Minister, Minister of Defence and Minister of Corporate Affairs in Govt of India)