Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee said Kanshi Ram, who died at the age of 72 on October 9, was one of the fore-runners of the Dalit movement, and worked ceaselessly for the welfare of oppressed and depressed sections of society.
Rajya Sabha Chairman Bhairon Singh Shekhawat described Kanshi Ram, a former member of the House, as a "champion of Dalits".
Rajya Sabha also paid homage to its sitting member Lalit Suri and four ex-members Prafulla Goswami, Lalitha Rajagopalan, Ahmad Hossain Mondal and Santosh Kumar Sahu.
Among the main points of discussion during the current session will be the controversial sealing drive in New Delhi, reservation for OBCs, the Rajinder Sachar report, the long-pending women