Special Parliament Session: PM lauds House staff for keeping lawmakers going day and night

Bidding an emotional farewell to the old Parliament building, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday paid a special tribute to all the support staff of the Parliament House."A lot of people have served us tea and water. During late-night sessions of the parliament, they ensured lawmakers don't go empty stomach. They have catered to our needs and taken over various forms of responsibilities," Modi said at the Special Parliament Session."From maintaining the gardens to keeping the house clean, uncountable people have made sure that we can work without any hurdle. I thank all those people on behalf of the House," he added."Bidding goodbye to this building is an emotional moment...Many bitter-sweet memories have been associated with it. We have all witnessed differences and disputes in the Parliament but at the same time, we have witnessed 'Parivaar bhaav'," PM Modi said as he opened the debate on day one of the special session.The Special Session of Parliament began in the old Parliament Building following which it will be moved to the new building on 19 September on the occasion of Ganesh Chaturthi."Before Independence, this Parliament was the place of imperial legislative council. After the Independence, it got the identity of Sansad Bhawan. While it is true that constructing this building was the decision of the foreign rulers, but we can never forget and can say it proudly that the sweat, hard work and money used in building it was of my countrymen,” said PM Modi in Lok Sabha.Remembering his initial days at the parliament, he said, “When I first entered this building (Parliament) as an MP, I bowed down and honoured the temple of democracy. It was an emotional moment for me. I could have never imagined that a child belonging to a poor family, living on the railway platform would ever be able to enter the Parliament. I never imagined that I would get so much love from people.”