President Mukherjee after the swearing-in cer- emony at the presidential house, the Rashtra- pati Bhawan, in New Delhi
and establishing an inclusive society in pursuance of our deep faith and commitment to the ideals enshrined in the preamble to the constitution, and a lot more remains to be accomplished; We do hereby solemnly
reaffirm our total and binding commitment to the ideals cherished by our founding fathers, and resolve:
(a) To uphold and maintain the dignity, sanctity and supremacy of Parliament; (b) To make Parliament an
effective instrument of change and to strengthen democratic values and principles;
(c) To enhance the accountabil ity of Government towards the people through the oversight of Parliament; and
(d) To rededicate ourselves completely to the sacred task of Nation Building.”
There was a discussion in
the Rajya Sabha also, which was initiated by the Prime Minister. At the end of the discussion, the Chairman of the Rajya Sabha,
214 | The Parliamentarian | 2012: Issue Three
Shri Hamid Ansari moved an identical resolution which was unanimously adopted by the House.
India elects its 13th Head of the State Shri Pranab Mukherjee was sworn in as the 13th President of the Republic of India on 25 July 2012 by the Chief Justice of India in a solemn function held in the Central Hall of Parliament. On assuming the office of the President of India, Shri Mukherjee, in his
first speech, said the principal responsibility of this office was to function as the guardian of the constitution and he would strive to preserve, protect and defend the constitution not just in word but also in spirit. He said: “Development of the country to be real, the poorest of the land must feel that they were part of the narrative of rising India and poverty must be erased from the dictionary of modern India.” Terming terrorism as the fourth world war that the international community was facing, he