Union Minister and RPI leader Ramdas Athawale lauded the contribution of the retiring Congress leader and Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad.
Athawale bid adieu to the senior leader and said "You should return to the House. If Congress doesn't bring you back, then, we are ready to do it. This House needs you," said Ramdas Athawale.
Athawale bid a poetic farewell to Azad in the Raja Sabha. His poem surely made the House giggle as the House witnessed emotional scenes on Tuesday.
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Prime Minister Narendra Modi recalled the contribution of Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad to the country, the House and also his party.
An emotional Prime Minister Modi bid adieu to Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha who is retiring from the House and recalled his long association with the senior leader.
Lauding the senior Congress leader's contribution to the causes dear to him, the Prime Minister said, "The person who will replace Ghulam Nabi ji (as Leader of Opposition) will have difficulty matching his work because he was not only concerned about his party but also about the country and the House." Almost teary-eyed, the Prime Minister recalled an incident where Azad's personal intervention led to the return of survivors and corpses of Gujarat residents who had faced a terrorist attack in Jammu and Kashmir.
"I will never forget Shri Azad's and Shri Pranab Mukherjee's efforts when people from Gujarat were stuck in Kashmir due to a terror attack. Ghulam Nabi Ji was constantly following up, he sounded as concerned as if those stuck were his own family members," the Prime Minister said, while members of the House listened intently.
Recalling another incident of Azad's concern for the nation during the times of the pandemic, the Prime Minister said, "During this pandemic, Ghulam Nabi ji called and asked me to hold a meeting of all party leaders. I was pleased to receive a nice suggestion that I followed." "Posts come, high offices come, power comes and how to handle these, one must learn from Ghulam Nabi Azad Ji. I would consider him a true friend," he added.
