"Outstanding statesman of our times": PM Modi's tribute to Pranab Mukherjee

New Delhi : Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid tribute to former President of India Pranab Mukherjee for getting the country's highest civilian honour – Bharat Ratna.

Taking to Twitter, PM Narendra Modi tagged him as the "outstanding statesman of our times".

Pranab too accepted the award with "deep sense of humility and gratitude to the people of India".

Two years back, PM Narendra Modi had written a moving letter to the outgoing President Pranab Mukherjee, referring him as a "father figure" and "mentor".

In his previous letter to Pranab, PM Modi talked about how ‘Pranab Da’ had been a guiding force for him in the hot seat of power. “Three years ago, I came to New Delhi as an outsider. The task before me was huge and challenging. In these times, you have always been a father figure and a mentor to me. Your wisdom, guidance and personal warmth have given me greater confidence and strength,” wrote the PM then.

Pranab Mukherjee is a veteran Congressman and had made his party upset with a decision to attend RSS function in 2018.