President Pranab Mukherjee will address the nation today on the eve of demitting office.

In a grand ceremony yesterday, Parliamentarians from both the Houses gathered at the Central Hall to bid farewell to the outgoing Raisina Hill occupant.Overwhelmed with the ceremony, President Mukherjee thanked everybody present in the Hall, most particularly the Parliament for 'creating' him and spoke about his warm association with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, while also lauding him for various 'transformational changes'.

"If I claim I am the creation of this Parliament, perhaps it will not be treated as immodesty. The Parliament gave a direction to my political vision as I got to learn a lot from the serious discussions held in both Houses of the Parliament," he said, adding, he attended the first session of the Parliament on July 22, 1969.

Mukherjee also said the government should avoid the ordinance route and it should be reserved only for compelling circumstances.

Concluding his address as he shouted 'Jai Hind', the President thanked the gathering again for the farewell given to him, adding, "I leave with a sense of fulfillment and happiness of having served the country." -- ANI