Rajya Sabha adjourned after paying tributes to departed members

New Delhi, July 17 (IANS): The Rajya Sabha was adjourned for the day after obituary references soon after the monsoon session of Parliament began on Monday here.

The members of the upper house remembered parliamentarians, including sitting members Anil Madhav Dave of the BJP and Palvai Govardhan Reddy of the Congress, who passed away in the past few months.

Dave was the Union Environment Minister when he died on May 18, and Reddy passed away on June 9.

Chairman Hamid Ansari read obituary references to sitting and former members of the house and described their losses as irreparable.

The members stood in silence for two minutes as a mark of respect for the departed souls.

Ansari also condemned the "cowardly and senseless" July 10 Amarnath Yatra attack in south Kashmir that left eight pilgrims dead.

He expressed grief over a tragic accident on the Jammu-Srinagar highway that left 16 Amarnath pilgrims and many others injured on Sunday.

He also mourned the loss of lives in many states in floods.

The Chairman later adjourned the house till 11 a.m. on Tuesday.