“May Allah end militancy”: Ghulam Nabi Azad in his farewell speech in the Parliament
The outgoing veteran Congress leader & former Chief Minister of Jammu & Kashmir, Ghulam Nabi Azad prays: "May Allah end the militancy and terrorism in this country".....
WordForPeace.com Special
Addressing the Parliament in his farewell speech, the outgoing veteran Congress leader and former Minister of Health and Family Welfare, who was also once Chief Minister of Jammu & Kashmir, Ghulam Nabi Azad prayed: “May Allah end the militancy and terrorism in this country”.
Azad recalled the terrorist incident in Kashmir when he became the Chief Minister and emotionally enumerated how the families and children of victims moved the former CM to tears. He also reciprocated the emotions and feelings expressed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi:
“There were times when we had verbal fights. You never used to take my words personally. You seperated the personal context with the politics. You always used to call me on Eid… When I went on to fight Rajya Sabha you asked me if there was any need. The country is run with collaboration, not through conflicts.”
In his equally emotional speech, the Prime Minister hailed the outgoing leader of the Opposition as he recalled the years he worked with him.
“I will never forget Shri Azad’s efforts and Pranab Mukherjee’s efforts when people from Gujarat were stuck in Kashmir due to a militant attack. That night…Ghulam Nabi Ji called me…,” he recalled, fighting tears, and then paused for water.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi also recalled several other occasions where the two opposing leaders had shared a laugh or bantered as they shared a special camaraderie in Parliament. “Before I entered electoral politics, I met Ghulam Nabi Azad ji,” he said. “He told the reporters that while you may see us fight on TV debates, under the roof of this House, we are a family”..…..
He became quite emotional in Rajya Sabha today as the House bid farewell to Congress veteran Ghulam Nabi Azad.
“Posts come, high offices come, power comes and how to handle these, one must learn from Ghulam Nabi Azad Ji. I would consider him a true friend,” he said.
He also remembered former President Pranab Mukherjee, another Congress veteran with whom he shared a strong rapport. “I will never forget Shri Azad’s efforts and Shri Pranab Mukherjee’s efforts when people from Gujarat were stuck in Kashmir due to a terror attack. Ghulam Nabi Ji was constantly following up, he sounded as concerned as if those stuck were his own family members,” said the PM.
