<p>As soon as the house assembled, Chairman Hamid Ansari read out a condolence message in which he said: "The country has lost an able parliamentarian and dedicated social worker."<br /><br />The house then observed two minute silence in Valmiki's memory.<br />Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was also present in the house at the time.<br />Valmiki, who was elected from Rajasthan, had been a member of the Rajya Sabha since April 2006.</p>
<p>As soon as the house assembled, Chairman Hamid Ansari read out a condolence message in which he said: "The country has lost an able parliamentarian and dedicated social worker."<br /><br />The house then observed two minute silence in Valmiki's memory.<br />Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was also present in the house at the time.<br />Valmiki, who was elected from Rajasthan, had been a member of the Rajya Sabha since April 2006.</p>