RS bids farewell to five retiring members

The Rajya Sabha on Wednesday bid farewell to five of its members from Tamil Nadu, who are retiring today after completion of their terms, with V Maitreyan turning emotional during his farewell speech.

The five retiring members are V Maitreyan, D Raja, K R Arjunan, R Lakshmanan and T Rathinavel, all from the AIADMK, except for Raja who is a member of the CPI.

The retiring members said they will miss the House and thanked their colleagues and the chairman, while other members said the House will remember them for their contributions in different ways and hoped they return to the House again.

Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu said the retiring members have contributed significantly to deliberations of this House and the Parliamentary Committees and in the process of nurturing and understanding our Parliamentary democracy.

He said the retiring members have also helped in enhancing the dignity and prestige of this august House.

"I place on record my heartfelt appreciation for the valuable contribution and services rendered by them them to democracy and to the society at large.

"The House will certainly miss their various, sometimes aggressive, progressive presence and their unwavering commitment to issues pertaining to the state of Tamil Nadu and also to national issues of importance. I wish retiring members good health, happiness and many more years of service to the nation," Chairman Naidu said.

Leader of the House Thaawarchand Gehlot said the five retiring members are completing their term in the House but will continue to serve the people.

"I wish them well in their life. They dedicated their life for the service of the nation and have worked towards nation's development," he said.

Leader of the Opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad recalled the contributions of each of them from the southern part of the country.

"I wish all my colleagues from the southern part of the country well," he said, hoping they return to this House again.

He lauded Maitreyan for choosing politics to serve the nation despite being a specialist in Oncology. He said he could have easily earned a lot of money, but chose to serve people through politics by quitting his practice.

"He has chosen this medium to do service to people and I appreciate his decision to join politics," he said.

Azad also appreciated Raja for his contribution in the House, especially through his speeches on every legislation and issue.

He said while as Leader of Opposition he hardly gets an opportunity to speak, Raja is the only leader who gives 4-5 speeches on everything in a single day. "I did not realise his capacity of giving so many speeches from the Zero Hour to the adjournment of the House," Azad said.

Chairman Naidu quipped, "because he is Raja and from today he will be going to Praja."
R Lakshmanan (AIADMK) said, "I came here with an empty hand and going with an empty hand. But I gained rich experience from here. Last six years went like six months and taught lessons for next 60 years."
The DMK leader in the Upper House, Tiruchi Siva said, "We have cross swords but we have been together on common issue of Tamil Nadu."
SP leader Yadav said, "Whenever I wanted to hear a song, I would hum and Maitreyan would complete the entire song in Central Hall. We will all miss you."