Pranab Mukherjee was born in 1989.
Pranab Mukherjee . Mukherjee got his break in politics in 1969 when Prime Minister Indira Gandhi helped him get elected to the Rajya Sabha , the upper house of Parliament , on a Congress ticket . Following a meteoric rise , he became one of Indira Gandhi 's most trusted lieutenants , and a minister in her cabinet by 1973 . Mukherjee 's service in a number of ministerial capacities culminated in his first stint as finance minister in 1982 -- 84 . Mukherjee had viewed himself , and not the inexperienced Rajiv , as the rightful successor to Indira following her assassination in 1984 .