Punjab Chief Minister and CLP leader Captain Amarinder Singh on Monday led the Vidhan Sabha in paying homage to martyrs, farmers who had committed suicide, as well as political and other eminent personalities who had passed away since the last session of the Assembly.The House paid its respects to Punjab soldiers who had died in Army operations in Jammu & Kashmir, as well as those who lost their lives in the recent Ludhiana factory collapse incident. The Assembly also remembered and paid respects to the students killed in the November 8 Bathinda road accident, as well as the teachers who lost their lives in another mishap on November 7 on Ferozepur-Fazilka Road.Rich tributes were paid by the members to Rajmata Mohinder Kaur, along with other deceased ex-MPs, Kanwar Vishvjit Prithvijit Singh and Mohinder Singh Kalyan.A two-minute silence was observed in the memory of departed souls as a mark of respect, during the obituary references on the first day of the 3rd session of the 15th Vidhan Sabha.
Speaker Rana Kanwarpal Singh, citing a quote by famous artist Leonardo da Vinci, earlier proposed that homage be paid to all those members who had passed away since the previous session. After the obituary references to the 20 eminent personalities, he passed a resolution for conveying the condolences of the House to their respective families. The resolution was passed by voice vote.Apart from the three ex-MPs, other eminent personalities to whom the House paid its respects were ex-MLAs Sardar Harmohinder Singh Pradhan, Sardar Balwant Singh, Sardar Raja Singh, Sardar Balbir Singh, Sardar Surjan Singh Joga, Comrade Raj Kumar. The members also paid tributes to Arjun Singh, Wassan Singh, Jagat Singh, Bachan Singh, Ram Sarup, Smt. Bachan Kaur, Channan Singh (all freedom fighters), Jathedar Takht Sri Kesgarh Sahib Giani Mal Singh, and Sub-Inspector Kamaljeet Singh, Naik Bakhtabar Singh, Manjinder Singh (all martyrs).On the request of Batala MLA, Lakhbir Singh Lodhinangal, the name of martyr Mandeep Singh (32) of Chahal Khurd village in Batala was also added to the obituary list. Mandeep had died while fighting militants in Kupwara district of North Kashmir on November 22.The suggestion to pay homage to the farmers who had committed suicide, as well as the teachers and students, came from the leader of the Opposition Sukhpal Singh Khaira, which the Speaker accepted.