Don’t lower dignity of post: Jethmalani to Somnath

As the UPA Government prepares to face a trust vote in the Lok Sabha, former Union Minister and senior advocate Ram Jethmalani on Monday asked Speaker Somnath Chatterjee not to do anything which “lowers the dignity” of his post.

In a letter to the Speaker, Jethmalani indicated that Chatterjee should not resign. “I understand that you are under pressure from the Left parties to resign, obviously because they need your vote badly,” the letter said, adding, “if for reasons other than pressure from the Left, you resign, you should refuse to vote on the impending motion.”

The letter quoted an official publication which said the Speaker’s post is above any political controversy andthe occupant belongs to no political party.