LS adjourned on opening day of winter session

New Delhi, Nov 15 (UNI) The Lok Sabha was adjourned on the opening day of the winter session today after paying obituaries to sitting member Vijaykumar Khandelwal and four former members, including legal luminary L M Sinhhvi.

Earlier, Mr Francisco Sardinha, who recently won the Mormugao byelection from Goa on the Congress ticket, took oath as member of the House.

In his obituary reference, Speaker Somnath Chatterjee described Khandelwal as a well-known social worker who played a proactive role in the campaigns for the protection of environment and for the betterment of the health and educational facilities for the tribals.

Khandelwal, who represented Betul, Madhya Pradesh, as a BJP member, died on November 13 in Nagpur at the age of 71 after a brief illness.

Khendelwal also represented the 11th, 12th and 13th Lok Sabha.

Mr Chatterjee described Singhvi, a member of the 3rd Lok Sabha, as a legal luminary and a well konwn exponent of human rights who was associated with the framing of constitutions of several countries of Asia and Africa.

Singhvi was also a member of the Rajya Sabha from 1998 to 2005 and High Commissioner to the UK from 1991 to 1997. He died on October 6 at New Delhi at the age of 76.

Others who were paid obituaries were Manjay Lal who represented Samastipur, Bihar, in the 13 Lok Sabha, Yashwant Borole from Jalgaon, Maharashtra, 6th Lok Sabha and Lal Ram Ken from Bayana, Rajasthan, 8th Lok Sabha.

The House then stood in silence for a short while to pay respect to the departed souls.

UNI