HOMAGE PAID TO VAJPAYEE, TANDON, NAYAR

CHANDIGARH:ON the first day of the monsoon session of the assembly, the House on Friday paid homage to former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee who died on August 16.

Reading out Vajpayee’s obituary reference, speaker Rana KP Singh said the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) stalwart was respected cutting across parties. The House also paid homage to BJP veteran and former Punjab minister Balramji Das Tandon who died on August 14 while serving as Chhattisgarh governor. Eminent journalist Kuldeep Nayar who died on Thursday was also paid tributes.

The speaker also read out obituary for ex-lok Sabha speaker Som Nath Chaterjee. Names of former Punjab minister Surinder Singla and former MLAS Joginder Nath and Kuldeep Singh Wadala were included in the obituary references.

Freedom fighters – Om Parkash Sharma, Hazara Singh, Mehal Singh, Darshan Singh, Milkha Singh, Chaman Lal, Bakshish Singh, Rattan Singh, Gurbax Singh and Bachittar Singh — who died recently were also included in the references.

The speaker accepted the demand by leader of opposition to include the names of 126 farmers who had committed suicide after the last assembly session in March in the obituary list.

SAD’S Bikram Majithia requested homage to soldiers of army and paramilitary forces who died fighting on the international border.

On minister Tript Rajinder Singh Bajwa’s demand, the speaker agreed to pay homage to Tarlok Singh who was killed in a hate crime in the US last year. The name of freedom fighter Jangir Singh was included in obituary references on the request of Aam Admi Party MLA Aman Arora.

to press for their demand. When the members assembled in the House, the Khaira group MLAS – Kanwar Sandhu, Nazar Singh Manshahia, Baldev Singh, Jagdev Singh Kamalu, Jagtar Singh Hissowal, Jai Krishan Singh Rodi and Pirmal Singh — sat on the back benches.

The Bholath MLA said they first humiliated the members and