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The winter session of Parliament began on a sedate note on Monday with both Houses being adjourned for the day as a mark of respect to senior Congress leader Madhavrao Scindia, who was killed in a plane crash in Uttar Pradesh on September 30, and other members who died during the inter-session period.
In the Lok Sabha, Speaker G M C Balayogi described Scindia, a sitting member who represented Guna constituency of Madhya Pradesh, as an active parliamentarian, an able administrator and a dynamic leader.
In the Rajya Sabha, Chairman Krishan Kant said in the passing away of Scindia, the country had lost a young, dynamic mass leader and an eminent parliamentarian.
Earlier, at a meeting convened by Balayogi, leaders of parliamentary parties agreed that the Houses adjourn after obituary references by the presiding officers.
Among other, the meeting was attended by deputy leader of the Congress in the Lok Sabha, Shivraj Patil, who replaced Scindia.
Balayogi said Scindia had served as a member of the fifth to 12th Lok Sabha from 1971 to 1999.
Scindia, who was deputy leader of the Congress in the present Lok Sabha, was keen on the promotion of education and sports. He was associated with several educational, cultural and sports organisations, the speaker said.
During a political career spanning three decades, Scindia carved a niche for himself -- be it in politics, government or in the field of cricket administration.
Though belonging to a royal family of Gwalior, Scindia, a widely-travelled person, was a leader of the masses in the true sense of the word. He ceaselessly strove for their uplift, Balayogi said.
In his demise "we have lost a great parliamentarian and the country has lost one of the most active and charismatic personalities whose absence would be greatly felt", the speaker said.
The Lok Sabha also condoled the demise of senior Communist Party of India-Marxist leader Samar Choundhury, a sitting member from Tripura west constituency and ten other former members.
The House also mourned the passing away of Y S Mahajan, who was a five-time member. The speaker described him as an educationist, an able parliamentarian and an active social worker who strived hard to improve the lot of slum dwellers.
Obituary references were made for veteran Congress leader and former Union minister K Vajayabhaskara Reddy, who had served six terms in the Lok Sabha and Maragatham Chandrasekhar, a member of the first Lok Sabha from Tamil Nadu who was also a member of the Rajya Sabha from 1970 to 1984.
The death earlier this month in Delhi of 77-year old Kamala Bahuguna, a member of the sixth Lok Sabha who took active part in the Quit India Movement of 1942, was deeply mourned by the House.
The House also condoled the passing away of P K Gawali, Surendranath Dwivedy, P K Deo, B Devarajan, P K Kodiyan and Shyam Dhar Misra.
The Rajya Sabha mourned the death of its former members K P Mallikarajunudu, Shiv Pratap Mishra, Surendranath Dwivedy, Maragatham Chandrasekhar and Shyam Dhar Misra who died during intersession period.
PTI
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