NEW DELHI: Amid lack of clarity whether former PM Manmohan Singh will get another term as Rajya Sabha MP, the upper House on Thursday bade a warm farewell to him and 67 other retiring members, with PM Narendra Modi praising his predecessor for his commitment as a parliamentarian.
Modi praised Singh for his “invaluable thoughts” and recalled that the economist-turned-politician had recently turned up for a Rajya Sabha vote in a wheelchair despite knowing that the treasury had an unassailable lead. On another occasion, he came in a wheelchair to vote in an election to choose members of a committee. “This shows how alive he was towards his duties as an MP. It can be said that he turned up to strengthen somebody, but I feel that he did so to empower democracy. That is why I pray for his health and long life on everyone’s behalf, that he keeps guiding and inspiring,” Modi said even as he acknowledged his ideological differences with the former PM. The comment came hours before the govt brought a white paper on UPA’s handling of the economy.
Modi’s compliments came amid uncertainty whether Singh, a six-time RS member, would get another term. Into his 90s, he has not been keeping good health and had to apply for long leave from Parliament last year. Congress’s dwindling strength and the demands from other aspirants can be another constraint, sources said.
The PM’s warm words contrasted with his stinging criticism of the Singh-led UPA in RS only a day ago.
The praise for Singh, however, did not keep Modi from taking a satirical dig at leader of opposition Mallikarjun Kharge for criticising the govt at a time “when the country has achieved new peaks of success and progress in the past 10 years”. Likening the criticism to a “kaala tika” — a customary black spot put on a loved one to ward off the ‘evil eye’ — the PM thanked Kharge for ensuring that nobody could cast an evil eye on India’s journey towards progress. He even took a dig at opposition MPs for having staged a “fashion parade” by turning up in black clothes in the last session to protest against the suspension of fellow members.
“I was thinking all will turn up in black clothes but the black magic has rubbed off to create a ‘black paper’,” he said, referring to Congress’s charges against govt.
While Modi praised Singh for his ‘invaluable thoughts’, he took a satirical
dig at Mallikarjun Kharge for criticising the govt ‘at a time when the country has achieved new peaks of success and progress in the past 10 years’
Modi praised Singh for his “invaluable thoughts” and recalled that the economist-turned-politician had recently turned up for a Rajya Sabha vote in a wheelchair despite knowing that the treasury had an unassailable lead. On another occasion, he came in a wheelchair to vote in an election to choose members of a committee. “This shows how alive he was towards his duties as an MP. It can be said that he turned up to strengthen somebody, but I feel that he did so to empower democracy. That is why I pray for his health and long life on everyone’s behalf, that he keeps guiding and inspiring,” Modi said even as he acknowledged his ideological differences with the former PM. The comment came hours before the govt brought a white paper on UPA’s handling of the economy.
Modi’s compliments came amid uncertainty whether Singh, a six-time RS member, would get another term. Into his 90s, he has not been keeping good health and had to apply for long leave from Parliament last year. Congress’s dwindling strength and the demands from other aspirants can be another constraint, sources said.
The PM’s warm words contrasted with his stinging criticism of the Singh-led UPA in RS only a day ago.
The praise for Singh, however, did not keep Modi from taking a satirical dig at leader of opposition Mallikarjun Kharge for criticising the govt at a time “when the country has achieved new peaks of success and progress in the past 10 years”. Likening the criticism to a “kaala tika” — a customary black spot put on a loved one to ward off the ‘evil eye’ — the PM thanked Kharge for ensuring that nobody could cast an evil eye on India’s journey towards progress. He even took a dig at opposition MPs for having staged a “fashion parade” by turning up in black clothes in the last session to protest against the suspension of fellow members.
“I was thinking all will turn up in black clothes but the black magic has rubbed off to create a ‘black paper’,” he said, referring to Congress’s charges against govt.
While Modi praised Singh for his ‘invaluable thoughts’, he took a satirical
dig at Mallikarjun Kharge for criticising the govt ‘at a time when the country has achieved new peaks of success and progress in the past 10 years’
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