The Bhutanese Leading the way.
The President of India Pranab Mukherjee is scheduled to visit Bhutan on the 7th of November 2014 on a state visit.
It has been learnt that it will be a day’s visit and the President will be leaving for India the next day on the 8th of November.
Preparations are already on at all levels of the government to prepare for the visit which among other measures include a fresh coat of paint along the Expressway. Media houses have also been asked by the Ministry of Information and Communication to send in the names of reporters who will be covering the event.
The President of India is the head of the state in India and enjoys the most prestigious position in India’s Parliamentary Democracy. In terms of protocol the President of India is even ahead of the Indian Prime Minister.
Pranabh Mukherjee until 2012 was the Finance Minister and the leader of the Lok Sabha in the Congress party. He was then elected by the Electoral College winning 70 percent of the vote to become the 13th President of India.
Pranab Mukherjee began his political career in 1969 and through the decades in Indian politics held various important ministries like defence, foreign and finance. He was the unofficial number two man in the UPA 1 and UPA 2 governments from 2004 to 2012 heading several important Groups of Ministers and committees looking at key government issues.
Known for his professional competence, political skills and bipartisanship he was a hugely admired and respected political heavyweight both in his own party the Congress and also along the Opposition parties.
He was the Foreign Minister when His Majesty the King signed the 2007 Friendship Treaty with India that strengthened Bhutan’s sovereignty and did away with some old and irrelevant clauses.
The President is known to be a long time admirer of His Majesty the Fourth King and also a close all weather friend of Bhutan in India’s top political circles.
Given the enormous experience and political skill of Pranab Mukherjee, he is also considered to be an engaged President playing an important role in India’s democratic set.
The President of India has largely ceremonial powers and is apolitical but he still has an extremely important position in the democratic set up. Despite India’s noisy and at times combative democracy where there are no holy cows attacks against the President by any party are virtually unheard off.
