NEW DELHI:  Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday paid tributes to 59 members retiring from the Rajya Sabha between April and July, calling Parliament “an open university” and urging outgoing legislators to continue contributing to national life.

Addressing the Upper House on the occasion of the biennial farewell, Modi said such moments naturally dissolve partisan divides.

“A shared sentiment emerges within us all –” the realisation that our colleagues are now moving forward to undertake other endeavours,” he said.