Pratibha sworn in as India's first woman President
Pratibha Patil after winning the Presidential elections in New Delhi on Saturday. Photo: Kamal Narang
New Delhi, July. 25 (PTI): History was made today when Pratibha Patil was sworn in as the country's first woman President, who favoured socially inclusive economic growth and unity in the fight against divisive tendencies like communalism.
The 72-year-old leader from Maharashtra was administered the oath of office by Chief Justice of India K G Balakrishnan in the Central Hall of Parliament before a distinguished gathering that included Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee and Acting Rajya Sabha Chairman K Rahman Khan.
UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi, Governors and Chief Ministers of several States, Union Ministers, former Prime Ministers Atal Behari Vajpayee and I K Gujral, and members of the diplomatic corps were present. Former Vice-President Bhairon Singh Shekhawat, who lost to Patil in an unusually acrimonious election, Leaders of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha, L K Advani and Jaswant Singh, were among those who attended the 30-minute ceremony.
After she solemnly affirmed by the oath in English, Patil swapped seats with outgoing President A P J Abdul Kalam and the occasion was marked by a 21-gun salute accorded to her outside in the Parliament complex.
In her brief speech she noted that India stood at the threshold of a new era of progress as it was moving at historically unprecedented rates of growth. "It should be our combined endeavour to sustain this growth and ensure that it is socially inclusive. We must ensure that every section of our society -- particularly the weak and the disadvantaged -- are equal partners in and beneficiaries of the development process," she said.
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