NEW DELHI: Vice-President M Venkaiah Naidu will leave behind a rich legacy in office, said Prime minister Narendra Modi at the farewell function of the vice-president at GMC Balayogi Auditorium in Parliament today.
The Prime Minister said that the Vice-President’s quality of always staying active and engaged, will keep him connected with the activities of public life.
The monsoon session of Parliament ended today. Vice-President M Venkaiah Naidu will demit office on August 10.
The Prime Minister spoke about the Vice-President’s passion for rural development. He recalled how the Vice-President had opted for the rural development portfolio when asked for his preference in the Vajpayee government.
PM Modi also “mentioned the rare distinction of the Vice-President being the first member of the Rajya Sabha to be its Chairman and Vice-President”.
PM Modi also appreciated the Vice-President’s quest to empower and enhance the capabilities of the House, its members, and the committees. Appealing to the Parliamentarians, PM Modi said that it is important that we always try to fulfil the expectations that he has from all the Parliamentarians.
Earlier in the day, PM Modi said in the Rajya Sabha that the Vice-President decided to work for the BJP and its earlier version when people said it had no future in the south.
The Vice-President started his public life as head of the Students’ Union at VR College in Nellore in 1971. He was twice the national president of the Bharatiya Janata Party and was elected to the Rajya Sabha for the first time in 1998.
Venkaiah Naidu also served as an MLA in the Andhra Pradesh assembly and was a Union cabinet minister in the Vajpayee government. On August 11, 2017, he was elected the Vice-President of India.