New Delhi: Rajya Sabha members on Wednesday bid farewell to retiring colleagues, highlighting cross-party camaraderie and expressing confidence that they would continue to serve public life, while several leaders underlined the importance of dialogue and democratic values.
Participating in the farewell discussion, Trinamool Congress leader Derek O’Brien extended greetings on behalf of party chief Mamata Banerjee and said departing MPs were moving on to “new roles” in public life.
O’Brien noted that several retiring members had the rare distinction of serving under three Rajya Sabha chairmen – M. Venkaiah Naidu, Jagdeep Dhankhar and incumbent C. P. Radhakrishnan – during their six-year tenure.
Highlighting the role of younger MPs, he said, “As we celebrate the experience of the septuagenarians and the octogenarians, I want to celebrate the contributions made by the young parliamentarians… They are merely having a job transfer to some other role in the party.”
Referring to leaders like Priyanka Chaturvedi, Saket Gokhale and Ritabrata Banerjee, he said the House reflected a “beautiful mix of experience with youth”.
DMK leader Tiruchi Siva described the occasion as “not the end of the road but only the bend of the road”, expressing hope that retiring members would continue contributing to public life.
He recalled long personal and political associations across party lines and said parting was “inevitable but difficult”.
Paying tributes to several outgoing members, Siva referred to senior Congress leader Digvijaya Singh and others including Rajani Patil, Bhubaneswar Kalita and KTS Tulsi.
He also praised DMK colleagues NR Elango and Kanimozhi NVN Somu for their legislative contributions, and thanked Deputy Chairman Harivansh for his conduct in the House.
Aam Aadmi Party leader Sanjay Singh said farewell moments were “painful and emotional” .
Recalling close personal bonds formed in parliamentary committees, he urged the Chair to allow former members access to the inner lobby of the Rajya Sabha as earlier.
CPI(M) leader John Brittas said the retiring members had “debated the fate of this nation and represented the diversity of this rich country”. He expressed confidence that leaders like Mallikarjun Kharge and HD Deve Gowda would return to the House and recalled that CPI(M) leader Jyoti Basu turning down the Prime Ministerial post led to Deve Gowda’s rise to the post.
Congres MP Digvijaya Singh, who is also set to retire, said he had never compromised with his ideology and was against disruptions in the House as “discussion is the basis of democracy.”
He added that increasing communal bitterness was “not good for the country, or for our culture, or the Constitution and democracy”.
BRS member KR Suresh Reddy highlighted the role of regional parties, saying they were “voices of our diverse culture, languages and aspirations”, while noting that his party had supported or opposed the government based on issues “in the larger interest of the nation”.
NCP leader Praful Patel welcomed the NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar back to the House and bid farewell to members including Fauzia Khan, describing her as an “esteemed and learned member”.
CPI leader P Sandosh Kumar said parliamentary democracy was facing a “deepening crisis”, but expressed hope that retiring MPs would continue to fight for people’s causes.
IUML member Abdul Wahab raised concerns over post-retirement access and pensions for MPs, and urged the Chairman to ensure the retiring MPs get a “reasonable, dignified pension”.
Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Priyanka Chaturvedi described the moment as a “pause” and said, “I shall be back”, while also apologising to the Deputy Chairman for any past remarks.
She also hoped that the historic women’s reservation bill would help her to return to the House in the future.
BJD member Sasmit Patra said the occasion highlighted a deeper bond among members beyond political differences. “Not power, not privilege, but service,” he said, wishing the retiring MPs well.
Radhakrishnan also made special mention of Kanimozhi NVN Somu’s personal journey, and recalled that her father NVN Somu was a Minister of State for Defence when he died in a helicopter crash while on an official tour of North East.
