By Professor Satya Narayan Misra* in Bhubaneswar, September 5, 2025: Dr Pranab Mukherjee who passed away five years ago on August 31 was a man of many parts and made seminal contribution as a Defence Minister. The Defence Ministry has been notorious for scalping many political heavy weights.

Beginning with Rajiv Gandhi, who lost his chair when he chose to overlook the advice of his friend Arun Singh , who was the Minister of Defence, by not taking a strong stand against Bofors, George Fernandes, became a victim when he had to face allegation of corruption swirled around him by Tehlka’s investigative journalists.

His close associate Jaya Jaitley of Delhi Haat fame was alleged to have been bribed by middle men. When Dr Mukherjee took charge as defence minister in the South Block in 2014, his primary unwritten remit was to salvage the image of the Congress not enmeshed in defence corruption scandals. With his dignified demeanor, erudition and acceptability across the political spectrum Dr.Pranab Mukherjee was like a whiff of fresh air in the sleazy corridors of the South Block.

The first visitor was Sri N.Vittal, who was the Central Vigilance Commissioner, who harped on him the need to usher in transparency in procurement process of defence deals. This showed the seeds of Defence Procurement Manual 2005 which catapulted India’s image as a transparent buyer of defence goods. This was followed by Defence Procurement Procedure for long term capital acquisition of weapon systems and platforms, which assured global suppliers of India as a transparent buyer.

There was a debate in the Defence Ministry whether such manuals should have restricted use in the ministry, or be put as part of the MoD website. Dr. Mukherjee overruled all shenanigans of confidentiality and ensured that it is accessible to all. He stood for transparency and clears the cobwebs of sleaze that shrouded defence deals and procurement. The Manuals also incorporated best global acquisition practices.

Dr. Mukherjee also put in place a new procedure called the ‘Offset Procedure’ in 2005, as per which when a country goes for big ticket acquisition, it can ask the exporting country to transfer key technology, bring in FDI and bolster exports as an ‘offset’. When this procedure was unveiled, the global companies welcomed the move as a very pioneering effort on the part of MoD to bring in best global practice.The example how Brazil built its Embraer aircraft, by getting technology from the USA, while buying F-16 aircrafts, set the template for India.

The other very important provision that was incorporated in Defence Procurement Procedure in 2006 was the Integrity Pact. Admiral Tahiliani (Retd. CNS) who was President of Transparency International, India chapter brought to the notice of Dr. Mukherjee, how India ranks very high in the corruption index. As per the IP Pact, which is widely practiced globally, the purchaser and the buyer sign a commitment of ‘no corruption’. Normally such a commitment is given only by the seller and not by the buyer.

It is to the credit of Dr. Mukherjee that the Defence Ministry became the pioneer of having an Integrity Pact, which was adopted subsequently by the ONGC and the Power Sector. Dr. Mukherjee ensured that exigency of defence procurement does not cloud fair process, equal opportunity and criteria based short listing and evaluation of vendors. This has been his most enduring contribution in his three years stay in the defence ministry, before he left for the MEA in 2006, albeit reluctantly.

I recall when we had gone to attend the Golden Jubilee Celebration of HMI at Darjeeling in 2006; we were stranded on the Lebong airstrip (2006), because of an inclement weather. He was in expansive mood.While sipping tea served by an army jawan from the nearby army detachment, he said: I was once stranded along with Mrs. Gandhi in 1973 in a similar manner when Sanjay Gandhi was part of the entourage. He recounted how Sanjay was playing pranks with the jawans and Mrs. Gandhi getting up and was constantly trying to dissuade him from being naughty.

Pranab told her “Madam, let him play; this is his age to play and have fun”. When I reminded Dr. Mukherjee of the major pranks that Sanjay had played on people’s personal lives of people during emergency; he got into a reflective mood and said: Mrs. Gandhi told me that after she lost the election in 1977 that almost everyone had left her. All the same I could discern that Mrs Gandhi was a hero to him.

Dr. Mukherjee has written in his Memoirs how Mrs. Gandhi was not aware about the nuances of the Emergency provisions. He has also recounted how Sri P.V. Narasimha Rao was admonished for leaving Congress hurriedly and forming an alternative party because of his differences with Rajiv. That’s the reason why most Congress men do not consider him loyal enough! In his last memoirs, he has written how Sonia Gandhi expected him to be deferential towards her, after he became the President. He loathed the idea of being a Gandhi lackey.

Many Congressmen berated him for going to RSS headquarters for addressing them. Pranab possibly believed that freedom of speech and expression, and eschewing untouchability are his fundamental right. It was not the best decision possibly, but he understood the basic structure of the Constitution, better than others. He was more like Vajpayee; erudite, ideology neutral and endearing to all, including his political adversaries.

Though economics was his specialization, Indian Constitution was his port of call. He recalled precedents like the back of his palm. Nehru was his primary hero, as he discovered the Parliamentarian in him; Indira was his weakness, as she catapulted him to the position of FM, when he was young, He avoided Rajiv and dynastic politics.

The dynasty defenestrated him from the richly deserving position of PM. Yet he ended as a friend, philosopher and guide of the PM, Mr Modi, who conferred on him the Bharat Rata. He was more than an archetypal Bhadralok. He was India’s President, who should have been the PM when Indira lost her life. In 2004 again he missed the boat to Dr Singh because of Sonia’s uncertainty & obduracy.

•The writer was Pranab Mukherjee’s financial advisor in the Defence Ministry