My election proves that in India, the poor can dream and achieve too: President Droupadi Murmu

Droupadi Murmu, the 15th president of India, addressed the nation after taking the oath of office and noted that she was the first president to be born in independent India and that it was an honour for her to lead the nation as it celebrated 75 years of independence.

Inaugural tribal and second woman to hold the nation's highest constitutional office, Murmu stated in her first address to the nation that attaining the position is not just her own accomplishment but also a reflection of the confidence of crores of Indians.

"Johar! Namaskar! I humbly greet all my fellow citizens from this sacred Parliament, a symbol of the hopes, aspirations and rights of all the citizens of India. Your affection, trust and support will be my greatest strength in discharging my functions and responsibilities," she said.

As it happened: Droupadi Murmu took the oath as president of India

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"I express my heartfelt gratitude to all the MPs and all the members of the Legislative Assembly for being elected to the highest constitutional post of India. Your vote is an expression of the faith of crores of citizens of the country," Murmu said.

"Reaching the post of President is not my personal achievement, it is the achievement of every poor in India," Murmu stated in her address.

"It is the power of our democracy that a daughter born in a poor house, a daughter born in a remote tribal area, can reach the highest constitutional post of India," she added.

Today, in the Central Hall of Parliament, Chief Justice of India NV Ramanna administered the oath of office to the 64-year-old former governor of Jharkhand. She succeeds Ram Nath Kovind, whose five-year tenure ended on July 24. She added that the nation must work faster to live up to the expectations our freedom heroes had for the people of independent India. At a critical juncture, when India is commemorating the Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav, according to Murmu, the nation elected her president.

"A few days from today, the country will complete 75 years of its independence. It is also a coincidence that my political career started when the country was celebrating its 50th year of independence, and today, in the 75th year of independence, I have got this new responsibility. It is my great privilege to be given this responsibility at a historic time when India is gearing up to achieve the vision of the next 25 years," said the President.

She further said, "I am the first President of the country who was born in independent India. We have to work at a fast pace in this Amritkal to fulfil the expectations that our freedom fighters had from us citizens of independent India. In these 25 years, the path to the accomplishment of Amritkal will proceed on two tracks - everyone's effort and everyone's duty."

She made a point of highlighting her path from a small village to the top position in the nation, saying, "I started my life journey from a small tribal village in Odisha. From the background I come from, it was like a dream for me to get elementary education. But despite many obstacles, my resolve remained strong and I became the first daughter of my village to go to college. I belong to the tribal society, and I have got the opportunity to become the President of India starting from amunicipal ward councilor. This is the greatness of India, the mother of democracy."

She continued by saying that the ability of a daughter born into poverty or a daughter born into a remote tribal location to ascend to the highest constitutional position in India is a testament to the strength of our democracy.

"Reaching the post of President is not my personal achievement, it is the achievement of every poor in India. My election is proof that the poor in India can dream and make them come true. It is a matter of great satisfaction for me that those who have been deprived for centuries, who have been away from the benefits of development, those poor, downtrodden, backward and tribals are seeing their reflection in me," she said.

(With inputs from agencies)

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