Both Houses of Parliament adjourned on the opening day of the winter session on Wednesday after paying tributes to former President K R Narayanan and condoling the deaths of a sitting Lok Sabha member and former members of both Houses.
Describing Narayanan as an ardent champion of secularism and constitutional propriety and a friend of the under- privileged, Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee said the country has lost a sagacious statesman, whose life will ever remain an inspiration to all.
Rajya Sabha Chairman Bharion Singh Shekhawat said in the death of Narayanan the country has lost an eminent scholar, a seasoned diplomat, a statesman, an able administrator and a distinguished Parliamentarian.
Lok Sabha also paid tributes to sitting member Prakashbapu V Patil, describing him as an able parliamentarian and a multi-faceted personality.
The Houses also mourned the death of former members including Madhu Dandavate, H K L Bhagat, S Ahmed Mehdi and T Thirthagiri Gounder.
Paying glowing tributes to the erudite former President, Sekhawat said Narayanan was a prolific writer who authored articles and books on social, political, international and literary subjects.
Chatterjee said Narayanan enriched and enhanced the prestige and dignity of the 'august' office of the President with his utmost commitment to high constitutional values and ideals that considerably strengthened India's democratic office.
He said Narayanan was endowed with exceptional brilliance and was a recipient of several academic and other awards.
Narayanan, an academic to the core, served with distinction as the Vice Chancellor of Jawaharlal Nehru University.
Shekhawat recalled that Narayanan had joined the Indian Foreign Service in 1949 and served at the Indian Missions in Rangoon, Tokyo, London, Australia and Hanoi and held important positions in the Ministry of External Affairs including its secretary in 1976.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Home Minister Shivraj Patil and other Cabinet ministers and the leader of opposition in Rajya Sabha, Jaswant Singh were present in the House.
Earlier Singh and some other leaders also paid homage to former Union minister Murasoli Maran, who died two years ago after prolonged illness, at a function in Parliament House.
