PM Modi hails Hamid Ansari role as Rajya Sabha chairman

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday hailed the contributions of outgoing Vice-President Hamid Ansari as the chairman of the Rajya Sabha, saying that he never saw him getting into controversy.

He suggested that Ansari, whose term ends on Thursday, should write a book on how the functioning of the Rajya Sabha could be made more effective and the institution "even more credible".

The prime minister said the various decisions that Ansari took as the chairman of the Rajya Sabha have something concrete to offer. He brought order in the House enabling the government to complete its business and such decisions could help others to understand how to improve its functioning, Modi said at a farewell function in honour of the vice president.

Earlier, BJP general secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya had criticised the vice president for his comment that there was a sense of insecurity among Muslims and said such a "petty" remark was not expected from someone in his position.

He also wondered if Ansari was looking for "political shelter" after retirement. "I condemn his comments. He has made political comments as he is retiring. He is still the vice president and such comments do not suit his office's dignity. It seems he is making such comments to find political shelter after retirement," he said.

In an apparent reference to Ansari, Vice President-elect M Venkaiah Naidu rejected as "political propaganda" the view that there is a sense of insecurity among minorities. Though Naidu did not name anyone, his comments were seen as a response to Ansari's remarks in a TV interview that there was an unease and a sense of insecurity among Muslims, and that "ambience of acceptance" was now under threat.

"Some people are saying minorities are insecure. It is a political propaganda. Compared to the entire world, minorities are more safe and secure in India and they get their due," he told PTI.

At the farewell function, Modi said Ansari could maintain a delicate balance in the House because of his "intellectual capability and skills". He said in public life several controversies were associated with public figures of which some being true and others false.

But to the best of his knowledge, Ansari faced no controversy in his long public life which was worth emulating, Modi said. He recalled that Ansari's cousin Brig Mohammad Usman laid down his life while fighting the Pakistan Army and tribal raiders in Jammu and Kashmir in 1948.

The prime minister said farewell ceremonies were meant to help successors learn from the qualities of the person retiring. He hoped that Naidu, who was amongs those present, would follow the precedent set by Ansari.

Replying to the felicitations, Ansari said that he had been rendered speechless by the words of praise for him. On his tenure as the presiding officer of the Rajya Sabha, he said there were purposeful exchanges in the House that did not result in animosity. "No one accused me of leaning to one side. I am retiring highly satisfied," he said. Ansari said as a common citizen, he would go back to the vibrant democracy and watch the institution from a "different angle".

PTI