Rajya Sabha adjourned as mark of respect to members who passed away

The Rajya Sabha was adjourned for the day as a mark of respect to departed sitting members - Forest and Environment Minister Anil Madhav Dave and MP Palvai Govardhan Reddy.

After the national anthem was played to mark the beginning of the monsoon session of Parliament today, Chairman Hamid Ansari mentioned the passing away of the two sitting members and six former members since the last session.

"In passing away of Anil Madhav Dave, the country has lost a champion of environmental protection, a distinguished parliamentarian and an able administrator," he said.

Ansari noted that Dave was a social worker who strove for the conservation of the Narmada river.

Dave, 60, passed away on May 18.

He represented Madhya Pradesh in the upper house for three terms - from August 2009 to January 2010, June 2010 to June 2016 and from June 2016 till his demise.

Ansari said Palvai Govardhan Reddy, who represented Andhra Pradesh in Rajya Sabha from April 2012 to June 2014 and Telangana from June 2014 till his demise on June 9 at the age of 79 years, was a distinguished parliamentarian and a dedicated social worker.

Former member Akhilesh Das Gupta, an educationist, businessman and sports administrator, died on April 12 at the age of 56.

Gupta represented Uttar Pradesh for three terms in Rajya Sabha and was a minister of state for steel in the UPA government from 2006 to 2008.

"The country has lost a distinguished parliamentarian, an able administrator and a sport enthusiast," Ansari said.

Former minister and Telugu film personality Dasari Narayana Rao, who was Rajya Sabha member from April 2000 to April 2006 and then again from April 2006 to April 2012, passed away on May 30 at the age of 70.

PN Sukul died on May 20 at the age of 85 while Era Sezhiyan on June 6 at the age of 94 years. Nominated member C Narayana Reddy died on June 12 at the age of 85 and U K Lakshmana Gowda, 97, on July 7.

Ansari said the House deeply mourns the passing away of its sitting and past members. Members stood in silence as a mark of respect to the memory of the departed.

The House also mourned the killing of Amarnath pilgrims in a "dastardly" terrorist attack on July 10.

Ansari said no words are strong enough to condemn the barbaric, cowardly and senseless act of violence.

He said the occasion calls for reiterating the resolve to fight terrorism.

The House also mourned the death of several persons in torrential rains and floods in several parts of the country including Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Uttrakhand in June and July.

The loss of innocent lives is indeed heart rending and unfortunate, he said.

Members stood in silence as a mark of respect to those who lost their lives in these incidents.

Thereafter, Ansari adjourned the house till tomorrow as an "as a mark of respect to Dave and Reddy".