Your term may end but experience will continue to guide nation: PM to outgoing V-P Naidu

New Delhi, Aug 8: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday said that the outgoing Vice-President M. Venkaiah Naidu's term in office may end but his experience will continue to guide the nation for years to come.

As Rajya Sabha bid farewell to its Chairman and Vice-President Naidu, Prime Minister Modi said: "You (Naidu) have always said that you have retired from politics but not from public life. Your term in the office may be coming to an end but your experiences will continue to guide the nation and workers of public life like me will continue to benefit from your experiences for years to come.

"Talking about Naidu's love for the Indian languages, the Prime Minister said: "One of the admirable things about Naidu ji is his passion towards Indian languages. This reflected in how he presided over the House. He contributed to increased productivity of the Upper House.

"The one liners of Naidu ji are famous. They are wit liners. His command over the languages has always been great".

Prime Minister Modi noted that there is both depth and substance in what Naidu says. "When we mark August 15 this year, it will be an Independence Day when the President,
Vice-President, Speaker and Prime Minister would have been born after Independence. And that too, each of them hail from simple backgrounds," he said.

Prime Minister Modi further noted that as the Vice-President, Naidu devoted a lot of time to youth welfare and a lot of his programmes were focused on Yuva Shakti.

Talking about his association with the Vice President, PM Modi said that he has worked with Naidu closely over the years and has seen him take up different responsibilities and perform each of them with great dedication.