Former President Pranab Mukherjee on Friday expressed gratitude towards the people of Indian after being conferred with Bharat Ratna, the highest honour of the country.
The 83-year-old, who served as President from 2012 to 2017, took to his Twitter handle and accepted the "great honour" with "deep sense of humility".
"It is with a deep sense of humility and gratitude to the people of India that I accept this great honour #BharatRatna bestowed upon me. I have always said and I repeat, that I have got more from the people of our great country than I have given to them. #CitizenMukherjee," Mukherjee wrote.
Mukherjee's political career spanned about five decades, during which he held various key posts in the Congress as well as in the governments led by Indira Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi, P V Narasimha Rao and Manmohan Singh.
Soon after the Rashtrapati Bhavan announced the award, Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid tributes to all the former President.
"Pranab Da is an outstanding statesman of our times. He has served the nation selflessly and tirelessly for decades, leaving a strong imprint on the nation's growth trajectory. His wisdom and intellect have few parallels. Delighted that he has been conferred the Bharat Ratna," Modi tweeted.
Along with Mukherjee, late legendary singer Bhupen Hazarika and late social activist Nanaji were also awarded Bharat Ratna.
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