As MP after MP took turns to praise Lok Sabha Secretary-General G.C. Malhotra, who retires on Sunday, one member referred to his cheerful disposition. Speaker Somnath Chatterjee quipped: “You have an angry speaker and a smiling secretary-general.

Rising numbers

RPI member Ramdas Athavale was the most exuberant of the leaders who lauded Malhotra. Athavale suggested the secretary-general contest an election and even offered him a ticket as others watched amused. Assuming they both won the next Lok Sabha election, their numbers would swell from a tally of just two as the BJP’s had done post-1984 “aur hum BJP ki chhutti kar denge”, Athavale said.

’Would you resign?’

BJP’S Mahadeorao Shiwankar posed an unusual supplementary question to Minister of State for Railways R Velu in the middle of question hour in the Lok Sabha. Pointing to the Railway’s failure to keep accidents in check he asked the minister: “Would you resign?” The Speaker stepped in, asking the Minister: “Would you resign?” Velu replied with an emphatic “no”.

Snub of the day

Rajya Sabha MP and constitutional expert Fali S. Nariman objected to the government’s not spelling out why it was providing PIOs dual citizenship in the Citizenship Amendment Bill. “Citizenship is too important an issue to be left to the executive to decide about its regulations and conditions…It’s not the Essential Commodities Bill that we can leave it for officials to decide,” he said.

Poll veteran

P G Kurien told a fellow MP in the Rajya Sabha: “What do you think, I have contested seven Lok Sabha elections.” He quickly added: “And I have won six, not like you.”