New Delhi, Nov 15 : Both houses of Parliament were adjourned on the opening day of the Winter Session on Thursday after tributes were paid to members who died during the intersession period.

Both Houses were adjourned without transacting any business as a mark of respect to two sitting and six former members, who died recently.

BJP’s Vijay Kumar Khandelwal who represented Betul constituency in the Lok Sabha, and former BJP President Jana Krishnamurthy, who was elected to the Rajya Sabha from Gujarat, died during the inter-session period.

Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee paid obituary references to Khandelwal, Manjay Lal, Yashwant Borole, Lala Ram Ken and L M Singhvi.

Similarly, Rajya Sabha Chairman Hamid Ansari paid obituary references to Krishnamurthy, J P Mathur, S R Bommai and Singhvi.

Krishnamurthy, 80, who was Union Law and Justice Minister in the previous NDA government, would be remembered as an able parliamentarian, a noted lawyer and a distinguished social worker, Ansari said. The founder member of the BJP, Krishnamurthy, who was ailing for sometime, breathed his last on September 25 in Chennai.

Chatterjee said Khandelwal, 71, who died on November 13 after a brief illness, played a pro-active role in the campaign for protection of environment and for better health facilities for tribals in Madhya Pradesh.

Glowing tributes were paid in both the Houses to Singhvi. A legal luminary and a constitutional expert, Singhvi was member of the third Lok Sabha from Rajasthan and later represented the state in the Upper House from 1998 to 2004.

Bommai, 84, who died on October 10, represented Orissa and Karnataka in the Upper House and was Union Minister from 1996 to 1998.

Mathur, 86, who died on October 20, represented Uttar Pradesh in the Rajya Sabha for two terms.

Mathur was a distinguished social worker and an able parliamentarian, the Chairman said.

Lal, who passed away on April 29 in Patna, thrice represented Samastipur in Bihar in the Lok Sabha.

Chatterjee recalled his contribution to the freedom struggle and the Bhoodan movement.

The parliament session begins under the shadow of spiralling violence in Nandigram in West Bengal’s East Midnapore District and continued impasse on the Indo-US nuclear deal.

The Left Front has agreed to a debate on Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's August 13 speech on the 123-agreement. The BJP has also expressed its readiness to take part in the debate, in spite of it being not held under clauses that would have entailed voting.

The Opposition BJP has demanded that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh should be present in the Parliament when a discussion is held on the nuclear deal.

Singh may miss few days (November 20-26) of the winter session, as he will be on Singapore and Uganda visit.

A total of 36 items and legislations have been identified for the coming session.

Another sixteen Bills will also be considered for passing during the session.

Due to the Assembly elections in Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh, it will be a short session of 17 sittings, covering 23 days.

The Winter Session will conclude of December 7. (ANI)