Janjivan Bureau / New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi welcoming M Venkaiah Naidu, India’s 13th Vice President as the Chairman of the Rajya Sabha, today and said that “people from a humble, rural background today occupy the highest positions in India.”
It showed the “maturity of Indian democracy and the strength of India’s Constitution,” said PM Modi, who sold tea at a stall in Gujarat when he was a young boy. He talked of how Mr Naidu, a farmer’s son, rose to hold top positions in government, always in touch with his roots. “I always felt that he touched more on villages and farmers …with a greater interest…it has been close to his heart.”
The Rajya Sabha today welcomed its new Chairman M Venkiah Naidu, who took over the charge today. Congratulating him, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said Mr Naidu has arisen from grass root and will lead Indian polity to greater heights. He said Mr. Naidu, who was born into a farmer’s family in independent India, has come to hold high office from his long experience in Parliament. Mr Modi also recalled Mr Naidu’s active participation in students’ movement and the nation-wide agitation led by Jai Prakash Narain. The Prime Minister said the concept of Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana was Mr Naidu’s initiative.
The inference was not lost on the Congress, for decades led by the Nehru-Gandhi dynasty. “Rich and poor is not the question,” said the party’s Ghulam Nabi Azad, who is Leader of the Opposition in the Upper House. There were many people, he said, in high posts who came from families of limited means, but added, “salute the society who made this possible but also those who were rich back then. Jawaharlal Nehru was a big lawyer; by today’s standards he might have been earning up to 10 crore a day. Gandhiji had a good family background, that is why he reached South Africa. But people like these sacrificed everything for the nation.”
The Congress leader then reeled off a string of names of leaders who he said “were well-off but sacrificed everything and gave us a nation where anybody can be the President, Vice-President, Army Chief. ”
Navneetha Krishnan of AIADMK said Mr Naidu has ability to connect the people of every region of the country. Derek O Brien of TMC expressed the hope that the new Chairman will not allow the passage of any bill in din.
Venkaiah Naidu sworn in as 13th Vice President of the country
Former Union Minister M Venkaiah Naidu was sworn in as 13th Vice President of India today. He has been administered the oath of office by President Ram Nath Kovind at a special function at Rashtrapati Bhavan. Out going Vice President Hamid Ansari, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan, former Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh, Governors, Chief Ministers, Union Ministers, Members of Parliament were present at the event.
Naidu, before proceeding to the Rashtrapati Bhavan paid tributes to the father of the nation Mahatma Gandhi at Raj Ghat, Deen Dayal Upadhyay at DDU park and Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel at Patel Chowk.
After the swearing in ceremony, Naidu reached Parliament
House and took charge as the Chairman of Rajya Sabha. He also chaired the proceedings of the Upper House.
Naidu was elected as the Vice President on 5th of this month defeating opposition candidate Gopal Krishna Gandhi.
Muppavarapu Venkaiah Naidu was born on 1st July 1949 at Chavatapalem, in Nellore district of Andhra Pradesh. He acquired his bachelor’s degree in law with specialisation in international law from Andhra University, Visakhapatnam.
He was elected as the president of the students union of colleges affiliated to his University and joined RSS and ABVP during his college days. Mr Naidu came into spotlight for his prominent role in the Jai Andhra Movement and for his contribution in Jayaprakash Narayan Chhatra Sangharsh Samiti.
Before being elected to the second highest constitutional post of the country, Mr Naidu has held several positions and carried his successful political career during his three decade long public life. He has served as national president of BJP from 2002 to 2004. In the Atal Bihari Vajpayee Government he was the Union Cabinet Minister for Rural Development.
In present Narendra Modi led government Naidu served as the Minister of Housing and Urban Affairs, Parliamentary Affairs and Information and Broadcasting.
Before going be the second highest constitutional dignitary of the country Naidu has held several positions and carried his successful political career during his three decades in public life.
