Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Parliament got very emotional when he talked about an incident that happened years ago when he and senior Congress party leader Ghulam Nabi Azad were both Chief Ministers – of Gujarat and Jammu and Kashmir, reports NDTV.
Ghulam Nabi Azad is the outgoing leader of opposition in Rajya Sabha and in his farewell speech, PM Modi recalled how a deadly terrorist attack in Jammu and Kashmir affected many pilgrims from Gujarat and narrated the complications he faced as Chief Minister to bring back the dead bodies to the state.
#WATCH: PM Modi gets emotional while reminiscing an incident involving Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad, during farewell to retiring members in Rajya Sabha. pic.twitter.com/vXqzqAVXFT
— ANI (@ANI) February 9, 2021
“I will never forget Shri Azad’s efforts and Pranab Mukherjee’s efforts when people from Gujarat were stuck in Kashmir due to a terror attack. That night Ghulam Nabi Ji called me. He cared for those people like you would care for a member of your family,” a teary-eyed Modi said.
“Power comes and goes. But how to handle it…,” PM Modi broke off again and saluted the Congress veteran Azad who sat across him in the upper house.
“I would not let you retire, I will continue taking your advice. My doors are always open for you,” PM Modi said about Congress leader Azad who is slated to retire on February 15.
“Whoever takes over in his (Azad) stead will have a problem; they will have to work really hard to fill his shoes,” Modi added.
Modi also said Ghulam Nabi Azad distinguished himself as Parliamentarian because he not only worries about his party but also had a similar passion towards the smooth running of the House and towards India’s development and set very high standards as MP and opposition leader.
When Azad got his turn to speak, he said, “I am among those fortunate people who have never been to Pakistan. Looking at the state of affairs in Pakistan or even in the other Muslim countries of the world, I think, every Muslim should feel proud that we are in India,” laced with Urdu couplets.
Azad also talked about former India Prime Minister Bihari Vajpayee and said, “The easiest working of the House was when Atal Bihari Vajpayee was LoP. People chose us to make rules for them. These rules would not pass if we keep arguing. I learned a lot from Atalji, how to break a deadlock, how to run the House,”.
Two MPs from the Peoples Democratic Party, Nazir Ahmed Laway and Mir Mohammed Fayaz, veteran Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad and the Bharatiya Janata Party’s Shamsher Singh Manhas will be retiring from Rajya Sabha on 15 February.
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