Former Union minister and Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) leader E Ahamed, who collapsed in Parliament on Tuesday due to a cardiac arrest, passed away early on Wednesday morning after being rushed to hospital and put on life support.
He collapsed while President Pranab Mukherjee was delivering an address to a joint session of Parliament.
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Ahamed, who was Minister of State for External Affairs in the UPA-I and UPA-II regimes under Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, was rushed to the Ram Manohar Lohia (RML) Hoispital in Delhi, and shifted to the intensive care unit (ICU) at around 2:15 pm because his condition had become critical after he suffered cardiac arrest.
Ahamed, an MP from Malappuram in Kerala, passed away at 2:15 am on Wednesday, confirmed hospital sources. He was 78 years old. His body was subsequently taken to his home town in Kerala on Wednesday morning. Given that he was the national president of the IUML, the party will now have to elect someone else to lead it.
Budget session 2017 affected?
The general norm when a sitting MP dies is for the Lok Sabha to be adjourned for the day. However, Wednesday happens to be the day when the all-important Union Budget 2017 will be presented by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley. Therefore, the question that now arises is whether Parliament will continue to function normally or be adjourned for the day.
The possibility is that one minute's silence will be observed before the Budget proceedings get under way. However, that is for Speaker Sumitra Mahajan to decide, and if she decides that the Parliament should continue with its bsuiness, Budget 2017 will be presented per usual.
However, in that case, the BJP may have to face protests from sections of the Opposition over whether disrespect was shown to Ahamed.
