The legacy and stature of Somnath Chatterjee…

The current Speaker of the 14th Lok Sabha, Somnath Chatterjee, has made history for his country and in a strange way, for his party. Chatterjee, a veteran of the Communist party of India-Marxist since 1968, placed his duty towards his country before his party’s ‘Fatwa’. He refused to resign his position as Speaker of the House before the no-confidence vote on July 22, 2008, against the UPA (United Progressive Alliance) led government. This might be the first time in the history of free India that a communist chose his country before his party. Somnath Chatterjee has not only earned the gratitude of the people of India but he has made a contribution to the ranks of communists in India. I wonder if Prakash Karat and his wife Brinda Karat have the brains to understand that their personal ego has destroyed their party and whatever little support they enjoyed in some parts of India.

Somnath Chatterjee was born in Tezpur, Assam on July 25, 1929. He will be 79 years old tomorrow. He was elected to the Lok Sabha in 1971 as an independent, supported by the CPI (M). Somnath is the son of Nirmal Chandra Chatterjee, the former president of the Akhil Bharatiya Hindu Mahasabha, a forerunner of today’s BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party). Nirmal Chatterjee left Hindu Mahasabha to join the politics of the left parties. Somnath Chatterjee followed in his father’s footsteps and joined active politics in 1968. He became a member of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) that year. This veteran communist leader was expelled from the party on July 23, 2008 after 40 years of loyal and dedicated leadership. Somnath Chatterjee was unanimously elected Speaker of 14th Lok Sabha on June 4, 2004. This was the first time in Indian Parliament’s history that a Left Party member became the Speaker of the Lok Sabha. Chatterjee received a standing ovation.