Draupadi Murmu took oath as the 15th President of India in the Central Hall of the Parliament House on Monday. Chief Justice of India NV Ramana administered the oath of office. President Murmu signed the booklet after taking oath in Hindi. With this she became the first female tribal President of the country.
President Draupadi Murmu, while addressing Parliament for the first time, said that her election as President is a reflection of the faith of crores of Indians. “It is the power of our democracy that a daughter born in a poor house, a daughter born in a remote tribal area, can reach the highest constitutional post of India,” she said.
“Reaching the post of President is not my personal achievement, it is the achievement of every poor in India,” Murmu added, “My election is proof that the poor in India can dream and make them come true.”
Expressing gratitude to all the MPs and all the members of the Legislative Assembly for being elected to the highest constitutional post of the country, the President said that “your vote is an expression of the faith of crores of citizens of the country. The country has elected me as the President at a crucial time when we are celebrating the ‘Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav’. A few days from today, the country will complete 75 years of its independence,” Murmu said.
The President said that it is also a coincidence that my political career started when the country was celebrating its 50th year of independence. And today in the 75th year of independence, she has got this new responsibility, she said. She said that at such a historic time when India is energised to achieve the vision of the next 25 years, it is her great privilege to be given this responsibility.
Vice President and Rajya Sabha Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, members of the Council of Ministers, Governors, Chief Ministers, heads of diplomatic missions, Members of Parliament, military officers and dignitaries were present in the ceremony.
