"Your one-liners are wit liners as well as win liners," Prime Minister Narendra Modi told Vice President and Rajya Sabha Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu in Rajya Sabha as he bid him farewell. The prime minister lauded his command over language, wit and control. "It means nothing more needs to be said after those lines. Your every word is heard, preferred and revered and never countered," PM Modi said in Rajya Sabha. Naidu will demit office on Wednesday and his successor Jagdeep Dhankhar will take the oath of office on August 11.
The current Vice President of India and the Chairman of the Rajya Sabha, Naidu is famous for his witty and humorous wordplay. Even in intense situations, he has come up with one-liners to change the mood.
Here's are some of his witty one-liners:
One of the most famous one-liners is his reply to a question on his interest in becoming the Rashtrapati. He gave a hilarious reply, saying that he is happy being 'Ushapati' (the husband of Usha, who is his wife).
About Manmohan Singh's governance, his punchline was: "PM presides, Madam decides. In the BJP, the President presides and the team decides."
Another witty one-liner: "Left can never be right."
To students going abroad for higher studies, Naidu said: "Learn, earn and return."
He once said about political parties: "Some political parties work on a three-principle formula: "Election, selection, and collection."
About his party loyalty, Naidu said, "Nation first, the party next and self last."
On contemporary politicians, he said: "Their sole aim, if possible is to become President, otherwise dissident, if that is also not possible, become a resident."
On the Congress party's attitude during the NDA regime, Naidu said, "Country is moving forward, Congress is looking backward and their situation is awkward."