Aitor Esteban has said goodbye to Congress on Wednesday after two decades as a deputy. He arrived at the Lower House after the 2004 elections and his oratory and his style have made him one of the most beloved deputies. After his speech at the government control session, he has visibly excited, a hot applause of the hemicycle.
Considered as one of the best parliamentarians in Congress, in 2017 he was awarded the “Emilio Castelar” award for the best speaker. Here we collect some of the most popular moments of its passage through Congress.
The famous saying duel with Rajoy
During the investiture of Mariano Rajoy in 2016, the Basque deputy starred with the president a fun duel of sayings. “While you love me Mariano, gives less firewood and more grain”he indicated from La Tribuna to Rajoy, who picked up the glove and on his reply shift he replied with a: «If you want grain, Aitor, I’ll leave you my tractor», Causing the laughter of the entire hemicycle.
The “gripado” tractor of Feijóo
Rajoy’s tractor was remembered years later with Feijóo at the head of the PP and, in an intervention in November 2023, Esteban explained to the opposition leader why he did not support the popular with another improvised rhyme. «You told me about tractors and that I didn’t want yours. Alberto, your tractor has the engine of using Vox oil gripado».
Albert Riviera in a mariachis band
In July 2019, he also dedicated a few words to the then leader of Citizens: «I see you every time I also imagine in a band, Mr. Rivera, but Mariachis. Giving the note from the tribune and the sonata from the seat».
Vox and squirrels chip and chop
In June 2020, Esteban responded to Vox humorously to a repeated phrase of Xavier Arzalluz -exlide to the PNV-, after meeting with Batasuna. Abascal’s party frequently reminded him of the words: “Some shake the tree, but without breaking it, so that the nuts fall, and others collect them to distribute them,” until in the summer of 2020 he replied: “Every time they tell me about nuts, the only ones come to mind that I know, which are chip and chop. Two funny squirrels that were confronted by the golf his, and those that look a lot like.
Sánchez’s “porrusalda”
“Go porrusalda debate.” Thus, the Basque spokesman defined the intervention of Pedro Sánchez in December 2020, when he appeared in Congress after several months without doing so to take stock of the last alarm state of the Covid Pandemia, explain three European summits and the last control session of the year. In total there were about seven hours in which the opposition came to ask the president to stop talking. From that day there was the phrase of Aitor Esteban: «Go porrusalda of debate. It is actually leeks but everyone ends up throwing something from here and there And it is no longer known what the debate was about ».
The call of Bolaños in the press conference
Parliamentary journalists will remember Esteban for their proximity to the press. One of the most popular anecdotes was the call of Bolaños in the press conference. It was November 2021 and Esteban explained to journalists how the negotiation of budgets with the government was going, which was not yet closed. As he had moved, the PNV had supported the budgetary text, but continued to negotiate and did not rule out doing it until the Senate’s process because, in his words, “until the tail everything is bull.” Just at that time, his phone began to sound while journalists joked that they were Bolaños to try to advance the negotiation. “Yes, look at you,” replied the PNV spokesman after verifying that, indeed, the call of the Minister of the Presidency between the laughs of those present.
#Rajoys #firewood #grain
