Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday got emotional in Parliament as he bid farewell to Congress veteran leader Ghulam Nabi Azad and said that his legacy in national politics will be hard to replace.
“As a leader of the opposition, it is easy to engage in party politics, but Ghulam Nabi Azad Ji rose above this and always prioritized the prosperity of the country first,” PM Modi said.
Recounting the bond with Azad, PM Modi narrated a story that how Ghulam Nabi Azad was at the forefront of operations during a terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir and committed towards his service to the nation.
“I will never forget Azad’s efforts and Pranab Mukherjee’s efforts when people from Gujarat were stuck in Kashmir after a terror attack,” he said.
“There was a terrorist attack on pilgrims from Gujarat in Jammu and Kashmir. Ghulam Nabi Azad called me at first. The phone was not for the information, his tears were not stopping. That time Pranab Mukherjee was the defence minister and requested for Indian Air Force jet for transporting the body. He said that don’t worry, we will figure out something. But, Ghulam Nabi called me again. He was at the airport,” the PM said.
Azad was appointed as the Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha in June 2014 after the BJP-led NDA formed the government. In 2015, Azad got re-elected to the Rajya Sabha from Jammu and Kashmir, despite the PDP-BJP alliance holding a majority of seats in the Legislative Assembly. Azad was honoured with the “Outstanding Parliamentarian Award” in 2015.
