Congress Deputy Leader Anand Sharma rarely carries a pen to Parliament and whenever he needs one while Rajya Sabha proceedings are on, he turns to DMK's Tiruchi Siva who is sitting in the second row behind him.
But on Wednesday, Sharma carried one and told Siva, "I won't ask you from tomorrow." Siva recalled this conversation on Thursday during the felicitation of 72 MPs retiring from Rajya Sabha in the next three months.
"I said, don’t tell that. But that word struck me. This is a moment, the days or the nights that to come will make us recollect what we all have been here," he said, adding this was “not the end of the road but just a bend of the road”.
Also Read | Rajya Sabha bids farewell to 72 retiring members
His reference to the pen prompted Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu to first ask Siva whether Sharma returned the pen and then went on to recall his days in Andhra Pradesh Assembly. Siva told Naidu, "I used to remove the cap and then give the pen (so he has to return)."
Naidu said he and late S Jaipal Reddy never used to carry pens to the Assembly and they used to borrow pens from others, and then forget to return them to them. "We never used to keep it with us, but keep it somewhere. So, later I found that whenever both of us were moving in that direction, many of the Members removed their pens and kept them in the side pockets of their trousers," he said amidst laughter.
Congress Chief Whip Jairam Ramesh also came in for special praise during the speeches of several leaders. Siva said he has told Ramesh many times that his contributions could be much better in various other fields. "He is such a knowledgeable person who can contribute by way of his writings, and, so also to so many others," he said.
Several leaders like M Thambi Durai, K Keshava Rao, Vijay Sai Reddy, Vandana Chavan and Vaiko mentioned Ramesh.
Reddy described him as a "friend" but referred to him as one of those Congress leaders who were responsible for the bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh. "In fact, Jairam Ramesh has got a special place in my heart, because he always guided me. I am not joking." He was later seen sending a handwritten note to Ramesh.
Trinamool Congress floor leader Derek O'Brien said his message to the retiring MPs will be that he will tell his grandchildren that when he was in Parliament, he "saw a world boxing champion, practising fun boxing moves with two or three male MPs who got nervous seeing boxing moves". He was referring to nominated MP Mary Kom, who is retiring in April.
"I will tell my grandchildren when I was in Parliament, I took a ferry car service with another MP and when I got off at home, I realised that I did not have Rs 10 to pay for the ferry. So, I borrowed the money from the MP of a party whose ideology I hated. I will tell my grandchildren, these 72 MPs will say, when I was in Parliament, they passed the Farmers' Bill. But, today we are not going there because today is a solemn occasion," he said.
Earlier in the day, sources said, a group photo of MPs was taken and there was a record turnout of 203 Rajya Sabha MPs, including 23 women, present.
Farewell speeches in Rajya Sabha lasted for 4:27 hours during which 65 speakers recalled their association with and contributions of the retiring MPs. The speakers included Naidu, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Deputy Chairman Harivansh, Leader of the House Shri Piyush Goyal, Leader of the Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge floor leaders of nine other parties, 11 MPs and 40 retiring Members.
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