Punjab Vidhan Sabha on Tuesday remembered the late Union Minister Gopinath Munde, renowned author Khushwant Singh, 25 victims of Beas river tragedy who died recently in a mishap, and 22 others who had died during the inter-session period.
On the first day of the six-day budget session, the House eulogised the services rendered by journalist, renowned writer, former Rajya Sabha MP Khushwant Singh, who died recently due to old age, before adjourning for the day.
Known as ‘doyen of Indian journalism’, Singh breathed his last on March 20 just before completing his century. Amongst his 85 books, and several columns, his famous works include Train to Pakistan, I Shall Not Hear the Nightingale, and Delhi.
The House paid tributes to Munde, a 64-year-old BJP leader, who died in a car accident in New Delhi on June 3 a week after he was administered oath as the Union Minister for Rural Development and Panchayati Raj in Narendra Modi's Cabinet on May 26.
Speaker Atwal led the members of the House in paying tributes to the victims of Beas river tragedy in which 24 students of an engineering college of Hyderebad lost their lives when they were washed away in the gushing waters of the river in neighbouring Himachal Pardesh.
In 14-minute proceedings during the afternoon hours, Speaker Charanjit Singh Atwal paid rich tributes on the behalf of the entire House, and recalled the services of former Ministers, ex-MlAs, eminent politicians, freedom fighters, and others related to the field of performing arts, during the obituary references in the Assembly.
The House also remembered former Minister Khushhal Bahl, former MP Harbhajan Singh lakha, former MlA and brother of former Chief Minister Rajinder Kaur Bhattal Kuldeep Singh Bhattal, a Punjabi writer Shah Chaman and two journalists — Deepak Sharma and Rachpal Sapal.
In addition, at least 15 freedom fighters who died in the interim period between the last meeting of the Assembly and the present Session were also remembered.
After the Speaker gets through making the obituary references, the leader of the Opposition Sunil Kumar Jakhar sought inclusion of the name of former MP Jagmeet Brar’s mother, Jagdish Kaur. SAD MlA Pawan Kumar Tinu too requested the Speaker to include the name of freedon fighter Sansar Singh. Both requests were accepted by the Speaker.
Before concluding the proceedings, Speaker Atwal asked the House to observe a two-minute silence in the memory of the dead and said: “All of us salute to all freedom fighters with deep respect and feelings. They all will always be remembered in the history of Punjab.”