Hry Assembly pays tributes to ex-Delhi CM Sheila Dikshit, Parrikar

The Haryana Assembly on Friday paid tributes to former Goa and Delhi chief ministers Manohar Parrikar and Sheila Dikshit, soldiers and freedom fighters who passed away recently.

On the opening day of the monsoon session, Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar moved the obituary resolutions and paid tributes to Parrikar, who passed away on March 17, and three-time Delhi chief minister Dikshit, who died on July 20, and other departed personalities.

The session began with the House paying tributes to personalities, soldiers and freedom fighters who passed away between the end of the budget session in February and the beginning of the monsoon session on Friday.

The House paid tributes to former Haryana minister Sharda Rani, who passed away on May 17, and former minister of joint Punjab Legislative Assembly Snehlata, who passed away on March 29.

The House also paid tributes to Flight Lieutenant Ashish Tanwar, who was among the 13 killed in the AN-32 crash in Arunachal Pradesh.

Seating arrangements in the House were also changed.

Congress leaders exchanged seats with the INLD as the grand old party is the main opposition in the state now.

The Indian National Lok Dal lost the status of being the main opposition party after its strength dropped to 11 in the 90-member House after six of its party legislators switched over to BJP. One of its MLA Jaswinder Singh Sandhu passed away earlier this year and the party lost the Jind seat in the bypoll, a segment which it earlier held.

While Congress, which has a strength of 17 in the 90-member Assembly, has not named its Leader of Opposition yet, party's state unit legislature party leader Kiran Chowdhary led her party in the House.

On her and her party's behalf, she paid tributes to Parrikar, Dikshit and others in the House.

INLD's senior leader Abhay Singh Chautala also paid tributes to the departed souls.

Towards the end, Speaker Kanwar Pal read out the obituary resolutions and paid tributes after which a two-minute silence was observed as a mark of respect to the departed souls.