?It?s a routine mission, accomplished to the best of one?s ability,? is all what P Rajeeve of CPI (M), who completed a six-year-term as a member of the Rajya Sabha recently, said. Fellow members of the Upper House could not agree more.
Wide appeal
Chairman Hamid Ansari said that the House will miss Rajeeve who had contributed significantly to the deliberations through active participation.
Leader of the House and Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said Rajeeve used to dig out procedure and rules of debates and kept the ruling benches on their toes.
?He studied the rules so well and researched well,? he said and asked Sitaram Yechury, CPI (M) general secretary, to consider re-nominating him.
Leader of Opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad said Rajeeve was an ?encyclopaedia of rules.? He too wanted Yechury to get Rajeeve back.
BSP supremo Mayawati said the CPI (M) leader used to put forth his views with all preparation.
Articulate politician
Ram Gopal Yadav (SP) said Rajeeve was well versed with rules and procedures and enriched the House proceedings. D Raja (CPI) said his performance inside and outside the House was commendable.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister M Venkiah Naidu described Rajeeve as an articulate politician.
Back home in Kerala, Rajeeve told BusinessLine he was proud of and humbled by all the attention. He rules out a return to the House since normally CPI (M) allows leaders from States only one term in Rajya Sabha. ?It?s only that I made good use when my turn was up,? Rajeeve said.
He attributed his success to the long hours spent in the House listening to others. Even the most boring speaker would have something new to offer.
For instance, he referred to a veteran member, a former governor and judge of Supreme Court. The Chair would give him a long rope, mostly.
It is from one of his speeches that Rajeeve got a valuable point to intervene forcefully in the matter of Parliamentary jurisdiction in the incorporation of universities during UPA-2 regime.
Select committee
Another instance was when Rajeeve forced the sending the Mines and Minerals Bill to a Select Committee after hours of battle.
He singled out as one of his best his motion for annulment of Section 79 Rules (IT intermediaries guidelines) 2011.
Rajeeve had argued that legislative function could not be undertaken by the executive since it is the sole prerogative of Parliament.
No less a legal and political luminary than Arun Jaitley paid full compliments to him for reminding MPs that they had a role in overseeing even subordinate legislations.
Rajeeve has since been inducted as a faculty for training and mentoring fresh MPs in Parliamentary business. He has been requested to make himself available and visit Delhi for the purpose.