RS pays rich tributes to Pranab Mukherjee, 3 sitting members

On the opening day of the monsoon session of Parliament that is being held under extraordinary circumstances due to the pandemic, Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu mentioned the passing away of Mukherjee and sitting members Beni Prasad Verma, M P Veerendra Kumar, and Amar Singh. Mukherjee, who was the 13th President of India from 2012 to 2017, passed away on August 31 at the age of 84.

The Rajya Sabha on Monday paid rich tributes to former President Pranab Mukherjee as well as three of its sitting members who died recently, with proceedings being adjourned as a mark of respect. On the opening day of the monsoon session of Parliament that is being held under extraordinary circumstances due to the pandemic, Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu mentioned the passing away of Mukherjee and sitting members Beni Prasad Verma, M P Veerendra Kumar, and Amar Singh.

Mukherjee, who was the 13th President of India from 2012 to 2017, passed away on August 31 at the age of 84. Naidu described him as a "man of many seasons" who had a sharp memory and in-depth knowledge of many subjects. "A true gentleman and consensus builder", Mukherjee was the main troubleshooter for the government, he said.

Born in a family of freedom fighters, Mukherjee had a long and distinguished political career spanning more than five decades during which he held several portfolios in the Union Council of Ministers. "A man of many seasons, Mukherjee handled external affairs ministry with remarkable dexterity. As Finance Minister, he saw India through a global financial crisis. As an external affairs minister, he oversaw the signing of the Indo-US nuclear deal," he said.

Mukherjee played a huge role in shaping laws and policy and always strived to forge unity and consensus among diverse political parties with a multitude of viewpoints, he said. "Known for his sound intellect and sharp memory, Pranab Mukherjee had an in-depth knowledge that spanned across a wide variety of subjects such as international relations, financial affairs, public policy, and parliamentary procedures," Naidu said. "This held him in good stead and he represented the country in the international forums." Bharat Ratna Mukherjee was a four-time member of the Rajya Sabha.

"In the passing way of Pranab da, the country has lost an adept administrator, an astute politician, outstanding parliamentarian, a great scholar and a visionary statesman," the Vice President said. Naidu said Verma passed away on March 27 at the age of 79 while Kumar died on May 28 at the age of 82.

Singh died on August 1 at the age of 64 years. Rajya Sabha proceedings were on Monday adjourned for an hour as a mark of respect for the memory of Mukherjee and the three other sitting members.

The House also mourned the death of former members Hiphei, M V Rajasekharan, Sanatan Bisi, Basant Kumar Das, R T Gopalan, Bhabani Charan Pattanayak, Ajit Jogi, Saroj Dubey, Vishwa Bandhu Gupta, Bishnu Charan Das, Ram Awadesh Singh, Shyamal Chakraborty, Nandi Yellaiah and Narendra Kumar Swain. It also mourned the death of renowned Indian classical vocalist Pandit Jasraj.

Traditionally, the proceedings of the House are adjourned for the day when a sitting member or former President dies. However, in view of the short 18-day session being held under the shadow of the pandemic, the proceedings were adjourned for one hour. PTI MJH ANZ ANZ RDM RDM