New Delhi, Mar 17 (PTI) Vice-President and Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar on Monday interacted with former Prime Minister H D Devegowda besides Leader of the House J P Nadda and Leader of Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge in his chamber at Parliament House.

Several union ministers and MPs greeted the chairman of Rajya Sabha soon after he arrived in Parliament House and assumed work after he was discharged from the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS).

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Soon after his arrival at Parliament House, Dhankhar was welcomed by Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman Harivansh and Rajya Sabha secretary general P K Mody. He also met Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla.

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju, Minister of Housing and Urban Affairs and Minister of Power Manohar Lal, Minister of Railways, Information & Broadcasting and Electronics & Information Technology Ashwini Vaishnaw, Agriculture Minister Ram Nath Thakur besides Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal also called on Dhankhar at Parliament House.

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Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs and Information and Broadcasting Dr L. Murugan and Minister of State for Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises and Ministry of Labour and Employment Shobha Karandlaje also met the vice- president in his office and checked on his health.

"Jagat Prakash Nadda Ji, Hon'ble Leader of the House (Rajya Sabha) and Hon'ble Minister of Health & Family Welfare and Chemicals & Fertilizers called on the Hon'ble Vice-President and Chairman, Rajya Sabha, Shri Jagdeep Dhankhar at Parliament House today," the vice-president's office said in a post on X.

"Mallikarjun Kharge Ji, Hon'ble Leader of Opposition (Rajya Sabha) called on Hon'ble Vice-President and Chairman, Rajya Sabha, Shri Jagdeep Dhankhar at Parliament House today," the office also said in another post.

Kharge in a post on X said, "Today I paid a courtesy visit to the Chairman of Rajya Sabha, Honourable Shri Jagdeep Dhankhar ji to enquire about his well being and wish him good health and long life."

Several members also greeted and wished a long and healthy life to Dhankhar in the Rajya Sabha, as he attended office and chaired the House proceedings for the day.

Dhankhar said that he was "greatly touched" by the concerns expressed across party lines which contributed to his speedy recovery.

"The Leader of the House (and Union Minister Jagat Prakash Nadda) and the Leader of the Opposition (Mallikarjun Kharge) were the first ones to get in touch with my family.

"Sonia Gandhi got in touch with my wife as did the chief ministers of several states including West Bengal," he added.

Gandhi was present in the House when Dhankhar mentioned this.

Dhankhar was admitted to the AIIMS in the national capital on March 9 following cardiac-related ailments. He was discharged on March 12 and advised to take adequate rest.

In the Rajya Sabha on Monday, he said the concern shown was an "enlightenment" to him that "when it comes to a situation (like this), our hearts are connected".

"This will be a source of inspiration and enlightenment to me," he said.

Dhankhar went on to say that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and others visited him in the hospital and several others too wanted to but couldn't due to restrictions.

"I express my deep sense of gratitude," he said, adding there was hardly anyone who had not shown concern over his health.

Monday was the first day when Dhankhar chaired the Rajya Sabha proceedings since being discharged from the hospital.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)