West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday praised President Ram Nath Kovind for maintaining a low profile while serving in office, saying that the post of the president is above all politics, IANS reported. Banerjee was speaking at an event in Kolkata in honour of Kovind’s first visit to the state after taking over as president.

“I did not know earlier that he has served as a member of Rajya Sabha for a long time,” the West Bengal chief minister said. “When I was a Lok Sabha member, he was a Rajya Sabha member. We did not realise that we have worked together because he always maintained such a low profile.”

The Trinamool Congress chief appealed to the president to continue to “stay simple” and keep a cordial relationship with the commoners. She said Kovind had practised in the Delhi High Court and the Supreme Court. Banerjee also gifted Kovind a painting made by her, which he promised to keep in the Rashtrapati Bhavan, The Times of India reported.