New Delhi: Former athlete PT Usha presided over the proceedings of Rajya Sabha in the absence of Chairman and Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankhar on Thursday.
Posting a short video clip of the moment, the ace sprinter tweeted, “Great power involves great responsibility" as said by Franklin D. Roosevelt was felt by me when I chaired the Rajya Sabha session. I hope to create milestones as I undertake this journey with the trust and faith vested in me by my people.”
PT Usha had been nominated to the Upper House by the Bharatiya Janata Party in July 2022 and later in November, she was elected as the President of the Indian Olympic Association (IOA).
During Usha’s brief leadership on Thursday, the proceedings went off smoothly, according to reports.
Congratulating her, PV Abdul Wahab, Kerala MP from Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) as quoted by The Print said, “The good thing today is that we are seeing one of our best Keralites in the chair and I request her that, unlike the Olympics, she shouldn’t go fast. The case is for the Opposition. You’re giving time, but the government is not giving any time. I praise you for coming here and not interfering. Otherwise, what happened today morning… The chair was speaking and interfering more than any other person. Therefore, I congratulate you.”
Notably, from Kerala’s Kozhikode, PT Usha was one of four others from the south India, who were nominated to the Rajya Sabha.
Congratulating her on the Rajya Sabha proceedings, one of her supporters tweeted, “So proud of you Usha, all the best for your onward journey. Go on & create history once more.”
Another user commented, “So so proud. You are an inspiration for daughters of India.” "The real empowerment!! All the best and sure you'll give back the country a lot more Ma'am," a third user tweeted.