New Delhi [India], July 24 (ANI): Leader of the House in Rajya Sabha, Jagat Prakash Nadda, bid farewell to the retiring MPs on Thursday, praising their contributions in enriching the house and wishing them well for their future endeavours.

'Today, 6 members are having their farewell. In that Wilson ji is coming back, I welcome him back. On behalf of my party and myself, I extend my congratulations and wish the people well. This house functions with continuity; that is why many new people come into Rajya Sabha, their terms finish, and they leave. In a democracy, discussion is expected. We also know that the beauty of democracy is that we agree to disagree,' Nadda said during his address in the Parliament.

'The house has been enriched with the way the 6 members have participated in discussions for policies. The house will always remember this,' he added.

MP Vaiko (MDMK), MP M M Abdulla (DMK), MP N Chandrasegharan (AIADMK), MP Anbumani Ramdas, and MP N Sanmugam (DMK), representing the state of Tamil Nadu, retired today. The sixth MP, P. Wilson, has been re-elected, with his next term set to start on July 25.

Talking about the speeches of the retiring MPs, Nadda wished them well for any future endeavours, adding, 'The members have discussed on labour, legal issues, put forward society's issues, and with their contributions, debates have gotten a platform. I congratulate them and wish them well. Even if one's duration is over, their time to do work is not finished. We get enough opportunities to work in various platforms.'

Highlighting the contributions of retiring MP Vaiko, Nadda praised his speech for being as energetic as all the others before, joking that Vaiko does not seem ready for retirement.

'Today we are bidding farewell to Vaiko ji. His life and contribution within and outside the House will be remembered by the nation. He has been a 4-time Rajya Sabha MP and a 2-time Lok Sabha MP, and has written books. We also got to know that more than 5 years of his life were spent in jail,' Nadda said.

Amid thumping approval from other MPs, Nadda added, 'He has kept fighting for the citizens. Yesterday, too, he was raising the issue of fishermen. Upon reviewing his speech today, I did not sense that he had any plans to retire. Nobody can dampen his spirit.'

Deputy Chairman of Rajya Sabha, Harivansh, also gave a big farewell to the retiring members. 'Each one of the members has contributed meaningfully to the deliberations in the house, bringing with them diverse experiences, perspectives and democratic values.'

Each of the MPs gave their own farewell address in the Upper House earlier today. Vaiko, while giving his speech, recalled his experience with meeting former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, saying that he had held a meeting with the former PM to discuss certain projects in Tamil Nadu. (ANI)