Tributes to Sunil Dutt in Punjab Vidhan Sabha

The Punjab Assembly today paid tributes to the late Union Minister Sunil Dutt and other departed leaders on the first day of its tenth session here.

Proposing a resolution on obituary references in absence of Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh, Deputy Chief Minsiter Ms Rajinder Kaur Bhattal said Dutt was a spirited statesman who took out a 'pad yatra' to Amritsar for peace in Punjab during the phase of terrorism in the state in 1980s.

''He has been a great film director, producer and actor as well,'' she said.

Speaking on the occasion, Leader of Opposition Parkash Singh Badal of Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) stated that Dutt had been the Member of Parliament for five times from Mumbai, which showed his popularity among the masses.

He had been a great actor who worked in more than 50 films in his film career before moving on to politics, Mr Badal said.

Paying tributes to Dutt, Independent legislator Succha Singh Chhotepur remembered that the departed soul had refused to contest any civic election during the phase when his son Sanjay Dutt was facing a trial.

Leader of Opposition Parkash Singh Badal also paid his tribute to a poor farmer, Gurdev Singh, who had committed suicide on Monday last after his paddy was not procured in the grain market in Kapurthala. ''The suicide by the farmer in the mandi (grain market) is a blot on the government,'' Mr Badal said.

BJP MLA Tikshan Sood also paid tributes to the farmer who committed suicide after the rejection of his paddy crop by the purchase agencies in the Kapurthala market.

The legislators also paid tributes to former Chief Justice Ranjit Singh Narula, former Punjab ministers Natha Singh Dalam, Surinder Kapoor and Shiv Chand Malout, ex-MLAs Phumman Singh, Gurbax Singh Dhaliwal, Dhanraj Singh Gill and Master Milkhi Ram, Communist leader Avtar Singh Malhotra and freedom fighters Giani Sant Singh and Ram Singh Tandon.

The Assembly also observed two-minute silence as a mark of respect to the departed souls, before its adjournment for the next sitting on October 13.