AICC veteran vents his feelings at RS farewell

With Rahul Gandhi set to bring changes in the Congress as  the new party chief, AICC general secretary Janardhan Dwivedi said he had a great respect and regard for those who were born in poor families and emerged as successful persons.

He was speaking during  the farewell given to him, Dr Karan Singh and Parvez Hashmi in the Rajya Sabha, who retire by end of this month. All the three retiring MPs represent Delhi.

Dwivedi, who will remain in his AICC post until Rahul completes an organisation revamp, said, "From a philosophical point of view, our sympathy and goodwill  should  be with the pain and sufferings of the poor. But if one has not lived that pain or suffered it, then one cannot become a true and complete leader. Nor can one become a complete intellectual. I have held this belief right from the beginning."

Dwivedi, who completed three terms as a Rajya Sabha MP, said he had spent 57 years in politics since he entered Allahabad University in the 1960-61 academic session.

Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad recalled his interactions with Singh and Dwivedi, "who has made simple Hindi very popular."

Leader of Opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad recalled Dwivedi's association with the socialist movement but reserved his praise for veteran party colleague Karan Singh, who had become the  regent of the state of Jammu and Kashmir at the age of 18 years.

During his 57-year political career, the 86-year-old Singh said Parliament has evolved in the last 50 years, but all the changes have not been positive.

Stating that earlier both the Houses used to witness brilliant debates, Singh said now such "debates have become rare and disruptions have become more frequent", and called upon the members to introspect.

He said he got  the opportunity to interact with prime ministers from Jawaharlal Nehru to Narendra Modi and "all of them worked in their own way to build a new India, as envisaged by the first prime minister."

Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu said the three retiring members have contributed significantly to the deliberations of the House and parliamentary committees.