Ghulam Nabi Azad's poetic farewell; Says Muslims should be proud to be in India

Senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad speaks during a news conference in New Delhi Sept 15, 2019 (PTI)

Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha and senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad on February 9 in his farewell speech said that every Indian Muslim should be proud that “we are in India”.

Azad, whose term as Rajya Sabha member ends on February 15, has been a member of the upper house for 28 years. He was a member of Lok Sabha for 10 years and was Chief Minister of the erstwhile Jammu and Kashmir assembly for three years.

"I am among those fortunate people who have never been to Pakistan. Looking at the state of affairs in Pakistan or even in other Muslim countries of the world, I think, every Muslim should feel proud that we are in India," Azad said in his speech laced with Urdu couplets.

READ: Congress looks for Leader of Opposition as Azad's Rajya Sabha term ends

Azad, a former minister in the UPA government said, the Opposition could not keep fighting over issues, which he learned from former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, during his tenure as LoP.

“The easiest working of the House was when Atal Bihari Vajpayee was LoP. People chose us to make rules for them. These rules would not pass if we keep arguing. I learned a lot from Atalji, how to break a deadlock, how to run the House,” he said.

Azad spoke in the upper house after other members  recounted his political journey from Jammu and Kashmir to New Delhi.

In his speech, Azad recalled his days in Srinagar's SP College when there were more people to celebrate August 14 (Pakistan independence day) than those celebrating August 15.

"I was among few who would celebrate India's Independence Day. We used to stay away from college for days after the event fearing for ourselves," Azad said.

Azad, 71, turned emotional while praying that militancy ends in Kashmir. He used Pakistan's poet Faiz Ahmad Faiz's lines to express hope.

"Dil na-umeed to nahi, nakaam hi to hai, lambi hai gham ki shaam, magar shaam hi to hai (the heart may be hopeless but its not been unsuccessful, the evening is long, but will end)," Azad said.

Earlier, the members bid adieu to the four members of the house from Jammu and Kashmir whose term is ending. Mir Mohammad Fayaz, Shamsher Singh, retiring on February 10, and Ghulam Nabi Azad and Nazir Ahmad Laway, retiring on February 15.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi broke into tears in Rajya Sabha during his farewell speech to members including Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad.

The Prime Minister turned emotional when he recalled a call by Ghulam Nabi Azad to him when Gujarati tourists were killed in Kashmir in a blast in 2007. Both Azad and Modi were chief ministers then.

Azad also thanked Prime Minister for not minding the criticism as leader of opposition in the house.

“There were times when we had verbal fights. But you [PM Modi] never took my words personally," Azad said.