New Delhi, July 26 (FN Agency) Showering praises on former President Ram Nath Kovind for maintaining highest standards of principles, probity and performance, Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a letter to him has said how Kovind has upheld and reinforced the ideals of Constitution. “You upheld and reinforced the ideals of our Constitution and the vitality of our democracy with sound judgement, great dignity and extraordinary statesmanship and always with the best interests of our Republic as your compass,” the Prime Minister said in his letter on Sunday. “As the Head of State at a time of unprecedented stress of the pandemic and a world caught in turbulence and conflict, you were a source of calmness, unity and reassurance at home, and a persuasive advocate of India’s values and interests abroad,” Modi said. The Prime Minister said he always found the former President unwavering in his compassion and concern for the welfare of the weakest citizen.
“Even as you reached the highest office in our land, you remained firmly and proudly rooted in its soil and connected with the people – happy in their company, sensitive to their problems, perceptive about their expectations, and acutely aware of the needed change,” he said. The Prime Minister said that during his presidency, Kovind represented and carried the best of India to all corners of our country and the world through his numerous actions, interventions and speeches. Modi said that Kovind’s gesture of visiting his mother and talking to her on several issues was “special”.”It showed your deep-rooted commitment to the value-systems integral to our land,” said Modi, who himself is very close to his mother Heerabai. “As your term draws to an end, I join the entire nation in saluting you and extending our deepest gratitude for your outstanding service as the President of our Republic and for a long and distinguished career in public life,” Modi said. “This letter from Prime Minister Narendra Modi has deeply touched me. I take his kind and heartfelt words as a reflection of love and respect fellow citizens have showered on me. I am sincerely grateful to you all,” Kovind wrote on Twitter sharing the letter on Tuesday.