The Rajya Sabha on Wednesday paid tribute to Bangladesh's former prime minister Khaleda Zia, besides erstwhile members of the upper house of the Indian parliament, L Ganesan and Suresh Kalmadi, who also passed away recently.

Soon after the house met for the day and before the laying of papers, Rajya Sabha Chairman CP Radhakrishnan read out the obituary references for Khaleda Zia and the two former members, according to the Press Trust of India.

The house stood in silence as a mark of respect for the departed. Later, the chairman said the Secretary General will convey to members of the beloved families our sense of deep sorrow and deep sympathy.

Reading out the reference for Begum Zia, he said, “I refer with profound sorrow to the passing away of Begum Khaleda Zia, former prime minister of Bangladesh and chairperson of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party”.

Begum Khaleda Zia passed away on December 30, 2025, after a prolonged illness.

“She was the first woman prime minister of Bangladesh and served in the office three times between 1991 and 2006. She also served as the leader of the Opposition from 1996 to 2001. Begum Khaleda Zia made important contributions to the development of Bangladesh and to Indo-Bangladesh bilateral relations,” the chairman said.

“The house joins the beloved family, the government and the people of Bangladesh in mourning the passing away of her excellency Begum Khaleda Zia,” Radhakrishnan said.

He also referred to the demise of L Ganesan, who passed away on January 4, 2026, at the age of 91 years. He served as a member of the Rajya Sabha, representing Tamil Nadu, from June 1980 to April 1986. He was born on April 4, 1934, in the Thanjavur district of Tamil Nadu.