Three new members take oath in Rajya Sabha

Senior Congress leader Vayalar Ravi was among three newly elected members of Rajya Sabha who took oath today.
Ravi, IUML state secretary P V Abdul Wahab and CPI(M)'s K K Ragesh, who were elected to the Upper House recently, took oath/affirmation in English.
Members greeted them with thumping of desks and Chairman Hamid Ansari warmly shook hands welcoming them. After signing the register, they greeted leaders of various political parties.
Later the House mourned the death of Lee Kuan Yew, former Prime Minister and founding father of Singapore, on March 23 as well as five former members of Rajya Sabha.

"Lee was a great statesman and a visionary who had dedicated himself to the transformation of the city of Singapore into a global trade and financial centre. His death is an irreversible loss to Singapore, its people and also to the world at large," Ansari said.
Manubhai Patel, who represented Gujarat in the Upper House from April 1978 to April 1984, died on March 27 at the age of 94 years.

Ghufran Azam passed away on April 2 at the age of 71 years, he said adding he represented Madhya Pradesh for two terms from June 1989 to April 1994 and April 1994 to April 2000.

Lalit Kishore Chaturvedi, who was member of Rajya Sabha from July 2004 to July 2010 from Rajasthan, passed away on April 5 at the age of 83 years.
Jerlie E Tariang, who was in Upper House from Meghalaya from April 1984 to April 1990, died on April 9 at the age of 92 years.
Ghulam Rasool Kar, who died on April 10 at the age of 93 years, was a member of the Constituent Assembly in 1951 and was a nominated member Upper House from May 1984 to December 1987.
Members observed silence as a mark of respect to the memory of the departed.

Ansari also mentioned of the killing of 148 persons, mostly students and 79 others in a barbaric terrorist attack on a university campus in Kenya on April 2.
The killing of 13 security personnel in series of attacks by Maoists in Chhattisgarh on April 11-13 was also mentioned.
"Such dastardly attacks and acts of senseless violence deserve to be condemned in the strongest terms and must be confronted with determination and firmness," he said.
Ansari also congratulated ISRO scientists for the successful launch of fourth satellite in the Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS).
He also congratulated Saina Nehwal and Sania Mirza becoming the first Indian women badminton player to attain the world number one ranking and first Indian women tennis player to attain the world number one ranking in women's tennis doubles respectively.