New Delhi, Jun 27 (IANS): Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Tuesday told Pranab Mukherjee that he and other cabinet ministers had benefited from the long-running union minister's advice on several occasions and they will miss the veteran parliamentarian.

"Our colleagues in the cabinet and I have benefited from your wise counsel on innumerable occasions and we will all deeply miss your presence amidst us," said the prime minister in his letter to Mukherjee, whose resignation as the finance minister was accepted by President Pratibha Patil.

Stating that the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government owes "a deep debt of gratitude" to Mukherjee for his "invaluable contribution to its work over the past eight years", the prime minister said it was a testimony to his "extraordinary abilities and stature in public life that he carried on onerous range of responsibilities with ease and accomplishment".

Expressing hope to see Mukherjee, the UPA's presidential nominee for the July 19 poll, occupy the high office, the prime minister said he was confident the country will continue to benefit from his wisdom, knowledge and decades of experience in public life.

"I wish you success in the election to the highest office in the country. I also wish you sustained good health and happiness in the years to come," said the prime minister in his letter to Mukherjee.