Lok Sabha pays homage to Raja P C Deo Bhanj, Solanki, Reddy

New Delhi, July 24 (UNI) The Lok Sabha today paid homage to its former members Raja P C Deo Bhanj, Pravinsinh Solanki and Narasimha Reddy.

In his obituary references, Speaker Somnath Chatterjee described Deo Bhanj as a man of letters who wrote a number of poems and hymns in Oriya, dedicated to Lord Jagannath.

A member of the Third Lok Sabha from 1961 to 1967, representing Bhubaneshwar, Deo Bhanj was a well-known social worker who was actively associated with many schools, colleges, hospitals, youth organisations and charitable institutions, both within and outside Orissa. He died on June 19 at Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh at the age of 74 after a brief illness.

Solanki, a member of the Third, Fourth and Fifth Lok Sabha from 1962 to 1977, representing Kaira and Anand in Gujarat, was an active social worker who worked relentlessly in rural areas for the improvement of education, agriculture and living standards of the downtrodden. He strove for the prevention of child marriage and abolition of dowry system. He died on April 24 at Anand at the age of 71.

Reddy, a member of the Fifth Lok Sabha from 1971 to 1977, representing Chittor in Andhra Pradesh, was a freedom fighter and was actively involved in the welfare of the downtrodden and rural uplift.

The House then stood in silence for a while to pay homage to them.

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