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Common men now in high posts, says PM welcoming Venkaiah as RS chairman
August 11, 2017
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday welcomed Venkaiah Naidu as the
Rajya Sabha Chairman, saying he is the first Vice President who was born
in independent India, adding that the former Union Minister knows the
workings of the House very well after being active in it for so long.
Naidu takes over the charge from Hamid Ansari whose second term ended on Thursday.
Praising
Naidu for his various rural development schemes, Prime Minister Modi
said, "Venkaiah Naidu has gifted the nation with Pradhan Mantri Gram
Sadak Yojana,
"Venkaiah Naidu is a farmer's son and during his
tenure as Poverty Alleviation Minister, he has always upheld the
interests of the poor, said PM Modi while speaking in Rajya Sabha.
Modi
further stated that the presence of a farmer's son in a highly
dignified position is a proof of a "matured democracy" in India.
He
concluded his speech with an inspiring couplet, "Amal karo aisa sadan
mein, jahan se guzre tumhari nazrein, udhar se tumhe salaam aaye."
Naidu was sworn-in as the 13th Vice President of India today, succeeding Hamid Ansari, in a glittering ceremony.
President Ram Nath Kovind administered him the oath of office and secrecy at Rashtrapati Bhavan here.
Following the ceremonial reception Naidu took over as the speaker of the Rajya Sabha in the Parliament.
Earlier in the day, he visited Rajghat to pay floral tribute to the memorial of Mahatma Gandhi.
National
Democratic Alliance (NDA) nominee and former union minister Naidu was
elected as the 13th Vice President of India with 516 votes.
Opposition nominee Gopalkrishna Gandhi secured 244 votes out of 760 valid votes.
Born
at Chavatapalem in the Nellore district of Andhra Pradesh on July 1,
1949, Naidu is the second Vice-president from Andhra Pradesh.
Before
joining active politics, Naidu was much of a social worker. After
completing his graduation, Naidu pursued law from Andhra University in
Visakhapatnam.
Venkaiah Naidu's entry into politics was marked by
his active participation in 'Jai Andhra Movement' of 1972. He was a
swayamsevak in the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and Akhil Bharatiya
Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) in 1973 during his college days.
After
the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was formed in 1980, he became Vice
president of its youth wing. He was leader of the BJP Legislature Party
in Andhra Pradesh, state general secretary and state unit chief.
He
won the Andhra Pradesh assembly elections twice in 1978 and 1983 from
Udayagiri constituency and was made national president in 2002.
Naidu
was elected as a member of the Rajya Sabha from Karnataka in 1998 and
was re-elected twice in 2004 and 2010 from Karnataka.
He served
as the Minister of Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation and Information
and Broadcasting in Prime Minister Narendra Modi Government before he
was nominated for the post of Vice President.
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