Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan introduced a new element in Parliament today. After an obituary reference, the Speaker asked members to chant 'Om Shanti Shanti' after a minute's silence was observed as she read condolence messages. Few Congress MPs and MIM MP Asaduddin Owaisi remained silent as they took their seats after paying their respects. No Speaker before Sumitra Mahajan has ever asked MPs to chant.


Dileep Singh Bhuria (71), a sitting BJP member from Ratlam, passed away on June 24. A veteran politician, he was a member of five Lok Sabhas earlier as well as a member of the Madhya Pradesh assembly. The Lok Sabha also paid tributes to former members Ismail Hussain, Denzil B Atkinson, Sheshrao Deshmukh, Rana Vir Singh, Manoranjan Bhakta, Sheila Kaul, Shashi Prakash, Chand Ram, Rajshekhar Singh, Pratapsinh Shankar Rao Mohite, S M Bhattam, Moreshwar Save and Namdeo Harbaji Diwathe.