New Delhi : In Delhi’s corridors of power, the relationship between the President of India and the Prime Minister has long carried symbolic weight — one office ceremonial, the other executive. But that symbolism reflects respect, tradition, and constitutional culture. How leaders uphold or ignore these traditions speaks volumes about political character.
On Saturday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi briefed President Droupadi Murmu at Rashtrapati Bhawan soon after returning from high-profile visits to China and Japan. The meeting went beyond formality. It followed a protocol Modi has diligently observed throughout his tenure: updating the President after every major foreign engagement.
During his trip to Tianjin, China, for the 25th Council of Heads of State of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), Modi discussed global governance reforms, counter-terrorism, and economic cooperation. He also held bilateral meetings with President Xi Jinping and President Vladimir Putin. After returning, Modi personally informed President Murmu about the visit, its outcomes, and the implications for India.
RSS ideologue and Thuglak editor S Gurumurthy drew a sharp contrast with the 1980s, when ties between President Giani Zail Singh and Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi broke down.
“When I see Modi observing this protocol of briefing President after foreign visits, my mind recalls the days when Pres Zail Singh cried to me about PM Rajiv humiliating him, not observing this very protocol. Arrogant Rajiv invited disaster for himself,” Gurumurthy wrote on X.
He recalled how Zail Singh, feeling deeply disrespected, asked him to draft a letter to Rajiv Gandhi expressing his anguish. Mulgaonkar, then editorial adviser of The Indian Express, refined the draft, and it appeared in print on March 31, 1987 — triggering a political storm.
Gurumurthy added: “I was arrested on 13/3 midnight. That was the first bomb that exploded on Rajiv. Then came Fairfax, the HDW bribe scam, V.P. Singh’s resignation, and the Swedish disclosure on Bofors. All within 40 days. Rajiv never recovered thereafter.”
The bitterness between Zail Singh and Rajiv Gandhi exposed how ego and neglect of protocol can erode trust between the two highest constitutional offices.
In contrast, PM Modi’s consistent briefings to the President show humility and respect for institutions. Whether with former President Ramnath Kovind or now with President Murmu, Modi has upheld tradition even without political compulsion.
By doing so, he strengthens the President’s role as custodian of the Constitution and reaffirms democratic values. Where Rajiv’s tenure highlighted confrontation, Modi’s model demonstrates institutional harmony.
As one political observer put it: “In a democracy, power is not just about authority, but about humility and protocol — especially when dealing with the highest office of the land.”
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