The Madhya Pradesh Assembly on Monday paid tributes to Union Rural Development Minister Gopinath Munde, who died in a road mishap recently, and termed him as a popular leader.
As the proceedings began on the opening day of the Budget Session, Speaker Sitasharan Sharma informed the House of the demise of Munde and other leaders, who died during the inter-session period.
Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said, “Munde was a leader with whom the public was deeply attached. It was during his term as the Maharashtra Home Minister when the network of underworld was destroyed in Mumbai.”
The Chief Minister said that Munde was very keen to perform his duties as a central minister when the tragedy took place.
Other departed leaders who were remembered were sitting member Prabhat Pandey, former lok Sabha Deputy Speaker S Mallikarjunaiah, former Union minister Tapan Sikdar, Vidhan Sabha’s former deputy speaker Narayan Prasad Shukla, former member BR Yadav and ex-Rajya Sabha MP and noted writer and journalist Khushwant Singh.
leader of the Opposition Satyadev Katare and other members paid tributes. A brief silence was observed and as a mark of respect, proceedings adjourned for till 10.30 am on Tuesday.
Earlier, BJP legislator Kalyan Singh Thakur, who recently won the assembly bypoll from Vidisha, today took oath as a member of the Madhya Pradesh Assembly on the first day of the Budget session.
Mr Thakur was administered oath by Speaker Sitasharan Sharma. He defeated his nearest rival Shashank Bhargava of Congress by a margin of more than 12,000 votes.
The by-election in Vidisha was necessitated following the resignation of Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan from Vidisha as he preferred to retain his Budhni seat.