Bhopal: The Madhya Pradesh government on Monday declared a state mourning for seven days following the death of Pranab Mukherjee even as condolences poured in for the former President from various quarters.
The national flag will fly half-mast at government buildings in the state till September 6, the government said in an order.
“Seven days of mourning will be observed across the state from August 31 to September 6. No official entertainment function will be held during this period,” it stated.
Leaders of the Congress and the BJP have expressed grief over the demise of the former president.
While state Congress president Kamal Nath termed Mukherjee a “visionary and a skilled politician”, another veteran Digvijaya Singh said the former president had left his mark on the history.
Former Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan said Mukherjee, 84, was like a brother to her.
“I am saddened by his demise. I feel like having lost my elder brother,” she said in a condolence message.
Mahajan said Mukherjee used to advise by rising above politics.
“He was a skilled strategist and would easily solve complex problems. He had full knowledge of nuances of the Constitution of India as well as other important countries of the world,” the BJP veteran said.
Nath said he had worked with Mukherjee for a long period.
“He was a skilled politician and a simple person with a vision. His death is a personal loss for me,” Nath said.
Digvijaya Singh said Mukherjee had a remarkable Parliamentary experience of 50 years.
“Pranab da is no more. I had the privilege of meeting him a week before his hospitalisation. He was delighted and we kept discussing for about an hour. His memory was unique. He remembered very old events,” Singh said.
The Rajya Sabha MP recalled that Mukherjee used to write a diary every day.
“He wrote memoirs of his life in his biography. He was writing the last version of it,” Singh said.
Various ministers in the Shivraj Singh Chouhan cabinet also paid tributes to Mukherjee.