Homage paid to leaders, farmers, accident victims
CHANDIGARH: On the first day of the winter session, the Punjab assembly on Monday paid tributes martyrs, debt-ridden farmers and labourers who committed suicide, politicians and eminent personalities who passed away since the last session and victims of the Ludhiana fire incident.
The house paid respects to Punjab soldiers who had laid down their lives in army operations in Jammu and Kashmir.
The assembly also remembered the students killed in the November 8 Bathinda road accident, as well as the teachers who lost their lives in another accident on the FerozepurFazilka road the day before.
The suggestion to pay homage to 289 farmers, who committed suicide, as well as the teachers and students, came from the leader of the opposition Sukhpal Singh Khaira.
Rich tributes were paid to chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh’s mother Mohinder Kaur, and other deceased former MPs Kanwar Vishvjit Prithvijit Singh and Mohinder Singh Kalyan. The house also paid tribute to Takht Kesgarh Sahib jathedar Giani Mal Singh, who died recently.
A two-minute silence was observed in the memory of departed souls as a mark of respect, during the obituary references on the first day of the 3rd session of the 15th Vidhan Sabha.
Speaker Rana KP Singh, citing a quote by Leonardo da Vinci, earlier proposed that homage be paid to all those members who had passed away. After the obituary references to the 20 eminent personalities, he passed a resolution for conveying the condolences of the House to their respective families.
The resolution was passed by voice vote.
Apart from the three ex-MPs, other eminent personalities to whom the House paid respects included ex-MLAs Harmohinder Singh Pradhan, Balwant Singh, Raja Singh, Balbir Singh, Surjan Singh Joga, Comrade Raj Kumar.
The members also paid tributes to freedom fighters Arjun Singh, Wassan Singh, Jagat Singh, Bachan Singh, Ram Sarup, Bachan Kaur and Channan Singh.
The House remembered subinspector Kamaljeet Singh and Naik Bakhtabar Singh, Manjin- der Singh who laid their lives fighting militants in Jammu and Kashmir.
On the request of Batala MLA Lakhbir Singh Lodhinangal, the name of martyr Mandeep Singh of Chahal Khurd village in Batala was also added to the obituary list.
Mandeep died while fighting terrorists in Kupwara district of Kashmir on November 22.