The Rajya Sabha bid an emotional farewell to Chairman Venkaiah Naidu on Monday with leaders from the Opposition and Treasury Benches requesting him to continue to guide Parliament as one of the most experienced politicians of the country.
Mr. Naidu’s term will end on August 10 and Parliament has elected Jagdeep Dhankhar to succeed him. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Opposition leader in Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge, leaders of various parties and senior MPs conveyed their best wishes to Mr. Naidu. Trinamool Congress leader Derek O’Brien’s reference to the tragic death of Mr. Naidu’s mother brought the Vice-President to tears.
Mr. Naidu, in his reply, appealed to the members to maintain decorum in the House adding that “we are not enemies” but rivals who should work to outshine each other and not run down each other. Recalling the day when the BJP parliamentary board in 2017 decided to nominate him as the Vice-President, Mr. Naidu said, “PM told me in parliamentary board meeting that I was being selected, I was in tears, I didn’t ask for it. There were tears not because of shirking of responsibility but because I had to leave the party.”
