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'My Election Is Proof That Poor Can Dream,' President Droupadi Murmu Says After Taking Oath

India's first tribal president paid floral tributes at the memorial of Mahatma Gandhi in Raj Ghat ahead of her swearing in ceremony.

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New Delhi: President Droupadi Murmu on Monday, July 25, said her election to the top constitutional post proves that in India, the poor can not only dream but also fulfil those aspirations.

In her address after Chief Justice of India N.V. Ramana administered to her the oath as the 15th President of India, Murmu thanked all MPs and MLAs for electing her.

I have been elected during an important time when the country is marking 75 years of Independence, she noted.

“Reaching this office is not my personal achievement but that of all the poor people in the country,” Murmu said.

“My election is proof of the fact that in India, the poor can dream and also fulfil those dreams…It is the power of India’s democracy that a girl born in a poor tribal home could reach the topmost constitutional post, Murmu added.

In her speech, the President stressed on speeding up efforts to meet the expectations that the freedom fighters had from the citizens of independent India.

Murmu had paid floral tributes at the memorial of Mahatma Gandhi in Raj Ghat ahead of her swearing in ceremony. She was escorted by military and other officials.

A day ago, Biju Janata Dal supremo and Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, along with his party MPs, met Murmu and congratulated her on winning the election.

Murmu hails from Odisha and was also a minister in the BJD-BJP alliance government in the state. Patnaik congratulated Murmu on her thumping victory in the presidential election and wished her all the best, BJD MP Sasmit Patra, who accompanied him, said.

The NDA’s presidential candidate crossed the 50% mark after the third round of counting on July 21 to emerge victorious in the poll over her rival, opposition candidate Yashwant Sinha.

The president-elect also conveyed her thanks to Patnaik for extending support to her candidature.

Meanwhile, Maharashtra police have lodged an FIR after a hoarding put up by Bharatiya Janata Party workers congratulating Murmu was found torn in Vasai city on Sunday, July 24.

On the complaint lodged by activists of BJP, a case was registered at the Manikpur police station at Vasai in the Palghar district under section 427 (mischief causing damage to the amount of Rs 50) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) against unidentified persons, an official said.

The hoarding with the picture of Murmu was found damaged, he said.

(With PTI inputs)

Note: This article has been updated since publication with details of Murmu’s speech.


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