The Lok Sabha on Wednesday condoled the death of former Union ministers Pramod Mahajan, ABA Ghani Khan Chowdhury and Bansi Lal, sitting member Mahboob Zahedi and two former members.
NEW DELHI: The Lok Sabha on Wednesday condoled the death of former Union ministers Pramod Mahajan, ABA Ghani Khan Chowdhury and Bansi Lal, sitting member Mahboob Zahedi and two former members.
The House adjourned for the day after Speaker Somnath Chatterjee paid tributes to the departed members who included Shailendra Nath Shrivastava and B R Kavade.
The Speaker described Mahajan, a member of the 11th Lok Sabha representing Mumbai North-East constituency and a sitting member of the Rajya Sabha, as an able parliamentarian and an impressive orator.
The former parliamentary and communications minister "maintained the best of relationships with everyone and will be remembered for his pro-active role as a parliamentarian and in government", he said.
Chatterjee said Mahajan was an effective floor manager.
He was instrumental in initiating several steps for bringing mobile telephony within the reach of the common man.
Paying tributes to Mahboob Zahedi, who represented Katwa constituency in West Bengal, Chatterjee said he had served as a member of the Haj Committee in the state.
A veteran freedom fighter, Zahedi served as an organizer in the Indian National Army, set up by Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose, and fought British forces under the leadership of General Shah Nawaz Khan.
S N Shrivastava, who represented Patna in the ninth Lok Sabha, was a litterateur and was associated with educational institutions.
An advocate and an agriculturist by profession, Kavade, who represented Nashik Parliamentary constituency in Maharashtra from 1967 to 1977, was associated with the cooperative movement.
Beginning his career as a school teacher before entering social and political life, Mahajan, 57, held important portfolios of defence, information and broadcasting and information technology, the Speaker said.
"In his tragic and untimely death, the country has lost one of the promising and able political leaders," he said.
Chowdhury, a member representing Malda constituency of West Bengal, was an eminent parliamentarian who held key positions in government and was associated with the cause for rural development in his state, the Speaker said.
Chowdhury, who passed away on April 14 in Kolkata at the age of 79, was a member of the House from 1980 to 2004.
Paying tributes to former Haryana chief minister Bansi Lal, who died at the age of 79, Chatterjee said he was an experienced and active parliamentarian and was defence minister (1975-77), railway minister (1984-85) and transport minister (1985-96).
An agriculturist and an advocate by profession, Lal was at the helm of affairs when Haryana was carved out of Punjab and will be remembered as the architect of modern Haryana, the Speaker said.
The members stood in silence for a short while as a mark of respect to the departed leaders.
Former prime minister A B Vajpayee, Leader of the Opposition L K Advani, Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee and Railway Minister Lalu Prasad were among those present in the House that met after a six-week break to resume the Budget session.
The Rajya Sabha was also adjourned in memory of Mahajan.
Describing Mahajan as an astute politician who carved out a niche for himself as a capable organiser, Rajya Sabha Chairman B S Shekhawat said he had played an important role in the Indian political scene.
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