hindi → English transcript

But some things connect us.

Regarding the retiring colleagues from DMK and Vaiko,

their sense of social justice didn't come from a WhatsApp forward.

These are people from the school of Periyar.

And people from the school of Periyar.

And like all the members, I also believe

that retirement from here is not a very big deal.

You will not leave public life, Vaiko.

I know this.

Abdullah, there's so much to say.

Someone else will sit in your seat from tomorrow.

We will get used to it.

But that other person will not be Vaiko.

I know this.

Abdullah, there's so much to say.

Regarding Mr. Shanmugam,

I was with him in the Labor Committee.

And I believe that

this person,

a highly emotional person,

is the one who championed the cause of labor

in every meeting,

bringing it to the central rostrum.

I also had interactions with Mr. Chandrasekaran.

Not so much with Mr. Ramdev.

But when Vaiko said,

"There were three of us here, sir."

Mr. Britas got a promotion.

He moved ahead.

The three of us used to sit here, sir.

And in a parliamentary democracy,

that moment...

when all of us, across the aisle,

can talk, can have a dialogue.

Those things...

I have, among all these members,

seen and learned, sir.

I will make one last comment, sir.

We are all people of different ideologies.

But some things connect us.

Our colleague from DMK, Vaiko, who is retiring,

didn't get his social justice from WhatsApp forwards, sir.

These are people from the tradition of Periyar.

And people from the tradition of Periyar

come having internalized it.

I have learned a lot, sir.

There has been a relationship, and I too,

like all the members, believe

that retirement from here

is not a very big deal.

You will continue to invigorate

public life

in the same way.

And our parliamentary democracy's

greatest beauty is that

the ruling party and the opposition, together,

form the Parliament.

There should be no feeling of enmity

between the opposition and the ruling party.

Today, when Vaiko ji was speaking,

So, I was getting goosebumps.

He named each and every person.

He mentioned Atal ji's name.

He mentioned Manmohan Singh ji's name.

He did not look at party affiliations.

This is what democracy is.

This is what unites North and South,

East and West.

The walls of language are erected by those

who don't understand its true essence.

The spirit is of love.

The spirit is of affection.

The spirit is of this country's progress.

Through you, I extend my best wishes to all of them.

Thank you.

Honorable Praful Patel ji.