“This morning is an occasion which I will cherish and approach with great humility. In all humility, I must say I hardly deserve the honour bestowed upon me,” she said in her acceptance speech after receiving the doctorate from Tamil Nadu Governor and Chancellor of the University S S Barnala at a packed auditorium.

The doctorate was confered on Gandhi for her “committment to the ideals of democracy and secularism, advocacy of ethics and accountability and for her pragmatic stand between democratic institutionalism and political choices.”

The university also conferred honorary doctorates on Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi.

Singh was conferred the doctorate for ‘staunch belief in ideals that will make India a global force, for creating a blue print that will take India into the realm of strategic, nuclear energy security in the 21st Century while remaining wedded to the principles of secularism, social justice and democracy.

Receiving the degree, the Prime Minister, who received similar honour from distinguished universities, said this was very special because he received it ‘in the august company’ of Gandhi and Karunanidhi.