The Hindu : National : Parliament adjourned

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Thursday, May 11, 2006

National

National

Parliament adjourned

Special Correspondent

Homage paid to Mahajan, Ghani Khan, Zahedi

NEW DELHI: Parliament was adjourned on the first day of the post-recess Budget Session on Wednesday condoling the death of sitting members of both Houses. While Pramod Mahajan was a Rajya Sabha member, A. B. A. Ghani Khan Chowdhury and Mahboob Zahedi were sitting Lok Sabha members.

The Lok Sabha also condoled the death of four of its former members, including Pramod Mahajan, S.N. Shrivastava, Bansi Lal and B. R. Kavade. The Rajya Sabha paid homage to its former members Sarla Bhadauria and Shyam Sundar Mohapatra. Parliament observed a minute's silence in memory of the departed leaders.

Both Houses condemned the murder of Indian engineer K. Suryanarayana in Afghanistan last month and hoped his killers would be punished. The Lok Sabha expressed its solidarity with the people of Afghanistan in their efforts to build a stable and prosperous country.

Mahajan's contributions

In the Rajya Sabha, senior Bharatiya Janata Party members including Murli Manohar Joshi, Rajnath Singh and Sushma Swaraj listened as Chairman Bhairon Singh Shekhawat recalled Pramod Mahajan's contributions in various fields. "Whenever he rose in the House to speak on a matter or initiate a debate, the whole House listened to him in rapt attention. Everyone appreciated his oratorical skills and the conviction with which he advanced his arguments."

Leading the Lok Sabha in mourning Mahajan's death, Speaker Somnath Chatterjee said: "In his tragic and untimely death, the country has lost one of the promising and able political leaders." The House took particular note of his contributions as Parliamentary Affairs Minister, with Mr. Chatterjee recalling "his ability to carry with him friends and opponents alike."

The Lok Sabha also mourned the passing away of its long-time member Ghani Khan Chowdhury, recalling among other things his membership of the Indian delegation to the United Nations, first in 1972 in connection with the admission of Bangladesh to the world body and then in 1976 during the Farakka water dispute.

Parliament also mourned the deaths of 58 persons in a fire in Meerut on April 10, the April 30 killing of 35 persons by militants in Jammu and Kashmir, and the deaths of 50 persons in two separate bus accidents at Thane (Maharashtra) and Rampur (Uttar Pradesh) on May 2.

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