Pranab Mukherjee

New Delhi: Pranab Mukherjee sworn in as the country’s 13th President at an impressive ceremony in the packed and historic Central Hall of Parliament on Wednesday.

Chief Justice of India S H Kapadia administered the oath of office to Mukherjee in the presence of Vice President Hamid Ansari, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar, UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi, Union Ministers, Governors and a host of dignitaries.

Dressed in a black achkan (longcoat) and white churidar (trousers), Mukherjee took the oath of office in the name of God in English to “preserve, protect and defend the Constitution and the law”.

Mukherjee was then given a 21-gun salute after which he signed the oath register amid a thunderous applause and thumping of desks.

The oath taking ceremony, marked by pomp and grandeur, began with the arrival of outgoing President Pratibha Patil and President-elect Mukherjee in a procession from the Rashtrapati Bhawan to the Parliament Building.

They were greeted by Kapadia, Ansari and Kumar who escorted them to the Central Hall.

After the short ceremony, Mukherjee and Patil were escorted out of the Central Hall amid the roll of drums and blowing of trumpets.

Highlights of his speech.

• I am proud of the valor, conviction and steely determination of our armed forces and brave police forces.
• We must erase poverty from the dictionary of modern India.
• Trickle down theories do not address legitimate aspirations of the poor.
• Our national mission must continue to be what it was when national leaders offered us a ‘tryst with destiny’.
•  For our development to be real, the poorest of our land must feel they are part of the narrative of rising India.