Arun Shourie praises ‘antique’ Pranab Mukherjee

Even as Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Arun Shourie described him as “one of the best prime ministers we are yet to have”, Union Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee on Saturday said he felt like an ‘antique’, still sticking to the political field.

“I am one of the oldest politicians alive, almost an antique in the political arena and who has been sticking to the wicket for five decades, occasionally expressing a desire to retire, but still somehow sticking to the wicket,” he said.

Speaking at a panel discussion on ‘Expectations from the Future Leaders’ at the Indian Statistical Institute here, the 75-year-old Congress veteran urged the youth to come forward and inspire the common folk with their leadership.

Also participating in the discussion, Shourie, singing praises for his political adversary, said, “He (Mukherjee) is one of the best prime ministers we are yet to have.”

He described Pranab Mukherjee as the “keystone to governance” in the country and the “most trusted man” in Indian politics.

“Nobody is trusted more in Indian politics than Pranab Mukherjee. He is, of course, the keystone of the present government. But he is also, I believe, the keystone today to governance in India,” Shourie said.

Reminiscing Mukherjee’s contribution in cracking some of the toughest nuts in front of the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) since it assumed power in 2004, Shourie called him ever-dependable troubleshooter.