Rajya Sabha adjourned till 2 pm as mark of respect to Madan Lal Saini

The Rajya Sabha has been adjourned for three hours as a mark of respect for departed BJP member Madan Lal Saini, and will reassemble at 2 pm for completing the debate on the motion of thanks, sources said.

Saini (75) died on Monday while undergoing treatment at AIIMS in Delhi. He was diagnosed with infection in lungs and was admitted at a private hospital in Jaipur. On Saturday, he was shifted to Delhi owing to his deteriorating health and was being treated under the Hematology Department at AIIMS.

The decision to adjourn the Upper House till 2 pm was taken this morning at a meeting of leaders of about 15 parties, which was chaired by Rajya Sabha Chairman Venkaiah Naidu.

The government is keen that the debate on the motion of thanks to the President's address be completed Tuesday to enable the prime minister reply to the debate before he leaves for Japan for the G20 summit on Wednesday.

Precedents are when sitting member Kalyan Ray of CPI died in 1984, the Rajya Sabha was adjourned for an hour and later took up business. Another reference was given by Leader of Opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad that when former MoS External Affairs E Ahmed, a Lok Sabha member, died, the budget was presented as scheduled.