The Haryana Assembly in a special session on Monday paid tributes to former Union minister I D Swami, veteran Congress leader Shamsher Singh Surjewala, senior journalist and former BJP MP Ashwini Kumar Chopra among others from the state who passed away.
While Surjewala, father of senior Congress leader Randeep Singh Surjewala, passed away on January 20, others passed away recently.
The House also condoled the deaths of security forces hailing from the state, who had laid down their lives while on duty.
Tributes were paid to those who passed away between the end of the previous session and the beginning of the current session.
Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar, who is also the Leader of the House, paid tribute to the departed souls and read out the obituary resolutions.
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Leader of Opposition and Congress leader Bhupinder Singh Hooda also read obituary resolutions on behalf of his party and paid tributes to the departed souls.
Paying tributes to Swami, the chief minister said the country has lost a seasoned parliamentarian and an able administrator.
Both Khattar and Hooda described Surjewala, a former Haryana minister who breathed his last at Delhi's AIIMS at 87 following a prolonged illness, as an able and experienced leader.
Paying his tributes, Hooda said, Surjewala was a five-time MLA and one time Rajya Sabha member. He was president of Haryana Krishak Samaj. He made great contribution for the Congress party. He served as Haryana Congress president and also served as Leader of Opposition and a CLP leader.
His contribution for social causes was great. In his death, the country has lost an experienced politician, Hooda added.
Honouring Chopra, who died at 63 last week following prolonged illness, Khattar said the senior journalist was a committed social worker and had great love for sports.
In his death, the country has lost an able parliamentarian, he added.
Hooda said Chopra came from a prominent family of freedom fighters.
He was a fine human being and a dear friend. He was an able parliamentarian, the chief minister said.
The special session had been convened to ratify the Constitution (126th Amendment) Bill 2019 extending reservation for Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe communities in Lok Sabha and state assemblies by another 10 years.
The House unanimously passed the resolution and it was later adjourned sine die by Speaker Gian Chand Gupta.
Earlier, the sitting began with Haryana Governor Satyadeo Narain Arya making a brief address to the members.
While extending New Year greetings to the members, the governor informed the House that since it was a special session to ratify the Constitution amendment Bill, he would deliver the full address during the Assembly's budget session, which was likely to be held next month.
Earlier, as per the schedule circulated by the Haryana Vidhan Sabha Secretariat, a copy of the governor's address was to be tabled in the Assembly, which was not tabled in light of the changed schedule.
In an informal chat with reporters later outside the Assembly, the Speaker said the governor will deliver a detailed address to the members on the inaugural day of the budget session.
Gupta said the decision was taken by the Business Advisory Committee of the House shortly before the session commenced.
Notably, the special session was earlier scheduled to be held for two days with a discussion on the governor's address but some members felt that they will not be getting enough time to take part in the discussion due to the short duration of the special session.
Gupta also told reporters that a two-day training programme will be held in the Assembly hall of the Vidhan Sabha on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Chief Minister Khattar will inaugurate the two-day training programme of MLAs. This training programme is not part of the special session and the House has been adjourned sine die on Monday, he said.
On the concluding day of the programme, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla will address the members, he informed.
Personnel from the Lok Sabha secretariat will also come to give training to the MLAs pertaining to parliamentary procedures as 44 of the total 90 are first-time members, he pointed out.
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