PM Modi addresses retiring Rajya Sabha MPs in Parliament. The Upper House will adjourn sine die today. Fifty-three MPs will retire today. There will be 53 farewell speeches today. The PM says, "Retiring MPs will be missed. It would have been good if GST Bill was passed in your presence."

Rajya Sabha, which was adjourned for the day on Thursday as a mark of respect towards sitting Congress member Praveen Rashtrapal who passed away, is sitting today to complete its original schedule. A decision was taken on Wednesday to curtail the session of Lok Sabha by two days and Rajya Sabha by one day. Accordingly, the session in Lok Sabha was on Wednesday brought to an end, two days before its scheduled culmination. According to the plan, the Rajya Sabha was also to be adjourned sine die on Thursday after the customary farewell speech as 53 Rajya Sabha MPs have retired from the House.


A number of those retired have been renominated. The Budget Session of Parliament had begun on February 23 and concluded on March 16. There was the scheduled recess between the first and second part. However, the session was prorogued to allow promulgation of an Ordinance to bring and pass a Vote on Account for Uttarakhand, which was under President's rule.