Tears and praises: Rajya Sabha bids emotional farewell to Azad
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New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday heaped praise on Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad by describing him as a leader who cared not just for his party, but about the country and its Parliament, and welled up while describing shared experiences with Azad, whose tenure in the Upper House ends on February 15.
“I am concerned that whoever is appointed to his position may not be able to match up to him,” Modi said, pointing to Azad, who was sitting across the hall in the slot occupied by the Opposition floor leader in the Rajya Sabha.
“Posts come, power comes but how to handle these one must learn from Ghulam Nabi Azad,” the PM added. He saluted in his direction, and said:“On the basis of events and experiences, I respect him as a friend.”
Modi also complimented
Azad for being a stellar Parliamentarian whose word he respected, and on a lighter note, for his interest in gardening.
Modi’s emotional farewell speech for Azad came while he was talking about the members of the House whose tenures end this month -- these, apart from Azad, are Nazir Ahmad Laway (February 15), and Mir Mohammed Fayyaz of the People’s Democratic Party and Shamsher Singh Manhas (February 10) of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
While speaking at length about his association with Azad, the PM recalled how, as the then chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir, Azad called Modi as the then chief minister of Gujarat, after several tourists from Modi’s state were attacked in a terror ambush in the Valley in May 2006.
“He had not just called to inform me... his tears were flowing uncontrolled. Pranab Mukherjee was then the defence minister, and I called him to ask if the defence planes could be provided for ferrying the bodies… At night Ghulam Nabi ii called me from the airport. He sounded as concerned as people are when talking about their own family members,” the PM said, pausing as he was overcome with emotion and had to take a few sips of water before continuing.
When Azad later referred to the same incident in his speech, he got emotional as well.