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Watch: Derek O'Brien's 'I will tell my grandchildren...' ode to retiring MPs
While reading out the ode, sprinkled with humour and sarcasm, Derek O'Brien also stopped short of launching an attack on the centre
Trinamool Congress leader Derek O'Brien, who is usually known for his aggressive remarks against the central government, on Thursday gave a parting shot to the 72 MPs of Rajya Sabha as he read out a couple of verses titled - 'I will my grandchildren..'. While reading out the ode, sprinkled with humour and sarcasm, he also stopped short of launching an attack on the centre over the contentious farmer laws, which were withdrawn last year, saying: "Today is not the day."
"When I was in parliament... they'd say.. two former prime ministers used to sit here - Dr Manmohan Singh and Mr Deve Gowda, and Narendra Modi was the prime minister. I will tell my grandchildren that when I was in parliament.. I saw a world champion practicing boxing moves with two or three male MPs who got nervous," the 61-year-old is heard saying in a video that he shared on Twitter.
The Trinamool Congress leader further says: "I will tell my grandchildren that I shared a ferry service with an MP but when I got down I realised I did not have ₹10 to give ... so I borrowed money from a party whose ideology I hated."
In the two-minute video, Derek further speaks about what all the members would tell their families. "There was a central hall there where we used to break toast and gossip... lots of gossip. I will tell my granchildren... that one sunny morning in March... can you spot me in the photograph? and the grandchildren would say - 'Dada is that you in the photograph? You look so young...'"
Rajya Sabha chairman Venkaiah Naidu - who breaks into a smile listening to the parting note - had earlier bid adieu to the Rajya Sabha colleagues. The upper house saw rare moments of bonhomie on the day.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi also gave a farewell message to the Rajya Sabha's retiring MPs and praised them for their political expertise.
