New Delhi [India], March 19 : Congress MP Jairam Ramesh on Wednesday raised concerns over the lack of a formal farewell for former Vice President and Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar, nearly eight months after his sudden resignation.
Jairam Ramesh, in a post on X, wrote, "Today the Rajya Sabha had a farewell function for MPs retiring in the next three months. It lasted almost 6 hours, with the PM attending for about an hour. Sadly, even after 8 months, there has been no farewell function for the former Vice President and Chairman of the Rajya Sabha Shri Jagdeep Dhankar, who was compulsorily retired on July 21, 2025."
Meanwhile, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla met with retiring and recently retired Members of Parliament from the Rajya Sabha during a gathering held at Rashtrapati Bhavan in the national capital.
Lok Sabha Speaker in a post on X on Wednesday, said, "Lok Sabha Speaker Shri @ombirlakota met the retiring and recently retired Members of Parliament (Rajya Sabha) at Rashtrapati Bhavan. Vice President of India and Chairman of the Rajya Sabha Shri C. P. Radhakrishnan, Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, Union Ministers and other Members of Parliament were also present."
On Wednesday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi thanked the retiring Rajya Sabha MPs for their contributions, wishing them well for their future political endeavours as he emphasised that there was "no full stop in politics".
"Discussions take place on various issues in the House, and every member plays a unique role in them. In moments like these, a common sense of respect is generated, rising above party lines. To the leaders who are leaving the House after the end of their tenure, I want to say that there is no full stop in politics. The future is waiting for you. Your experience and contribution will always be remembered," the PM said.
He further urged the newly elected MPs to learn from the veterans like HD Deve Gowda, Mallikarjun Kharge, Sharad Pawar, who he said have spent more than half of their lives in parliamentary work.
"HD Deve Gowda ji, Mallikarjun Kharge ji, and Sharad Pawar ji are senior leaders who have spent more than half of their lives in parliamentary work. Newly elected MPs should learn from them," he said.
Speaking about Ramdas Athawale, whose term is coming to an end, PM Modi said, "Sometimes we used to hear that there is a lot of opportunity for humour and satire in the House. These days, perhaps it is gradually decreasing. But our Athawale is evergreen. Athawale is leaving, but no one here will feel any shortcoming. I am fully confident that he will continue to serve satire and humour in abundance."
Ramdas Athawale, Priyanka Chaturvedi, Tiruchi Siva, Amarendra Dhari Singh, and Abhishek Manu Singhvi are among the 37 retiring MPs.
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