Homage paid to freedom fighters, others

CHANDIGARH: Punjab chief minister and Congress legislature party (CLP) leader Capt Amarinder Singh on Wednesday led the Vidhan Sabha in paying homage to 16 eminent personalities who have passed away since the last session. These included former Union ministers Arun Jaitley and Sushma Swaraj. A two-minute silence was observed in the memory of the departed souls as a mark of respect, during the obituary references.

Speaker Rana KP Singh proposed that homage be paid to all those members who had passed away since the previous session. After the obituary references, he passed a resolution, by voice vote, for conveying condolences of the House to their families.

Besides Jaitley and Swaraj, the

House paid its respects to Mukerian MLA Rajnish Kumar Babbi; ex-MP Sukhdev Singh Libra; ex-Parliamentary secretary Surinder Singh Dhuri and former Punjab BJP president Kamal Sharma. Homage was also paid to freedom fighters Mukhtyar Singh, Sita Singh, Gurdial Singh, Munsha Singh and Nirmal Singh. The House also paid tributes to freedom fighters Jeewan Singh and Hari Krishan on the request of MLAs Hardyal Singh Kamboj and Lakhbir Singh Lodhinangal, respectively. The House also remembered former Punjab cadre IAS officer Padma Shri Sarbjeet Singh and member, Punjab Public Service Commission Harbhajan Singh Deol. Apart from this, the speaker also proposed that homage be paid to Kamal Arora, the brother of Sunam MLA Aman Arora. On the request of Sultanpur Lodhi MLA Navtej Cheema, the speaker agreed to include the name of SGPC executive committee member Shingara Singh Lohian on the obituary list; he had passed away on November 4.