RS bids farewell to 5 retiring members, recall contribution

New Delhi: The Rajya Sabha on Friday bid farewell to five members, including BJP leader Jugalsinh Lokhandwala (BJP) who will retire on August 18, and recalled their contribution to the House.

Out of the nine retiring members, four have been re-elected and the House will miss the other five members, Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar said.

Four members -- S Jaishankar of BJP and three AITC members Sukhendu Sekhar Ray, Derek O Brien and Dola Sen -- have been re-elected to the Upper House while the five retiring members are Jugalsinh Lokhandwala and Dineshchandra Jemalbhai Anavadiya of the BJP, Sushmita Dev and Shanta Chhetri from the AITC and Pradip Bhattacharya from Congress.

“The five retiring members have made rich and significant contribution to the proceedings of the House during the course of their tenure. I am sure they would cherish the unique honour of their association with the House and will continue with their contribution to the nation at large,” Dhankhar said.

He also urged the retiring members to maintain contact with MPs with whom they have spent a major part in the House. Asserting that there is no retirement in politics, Leader of Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge said they are not retiring permanently.

“Politics is not a government service but a life long service,” he added.

Leader of House Piyush Goyal highlighted the contribution of Jaishankar in the House and at the global level as external affairs minister, leading to uproar in the House.