Somnath won’t play ball, Karat leaves it to ‘Comrade’

Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee on Monday continued to keep the CPI(M) on tenterhooks as he remained noncommittal...

Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee on Monday continued to keep the CPI(M) on tenterhooks as he remained noncommittal on resigning even after his reported meeting with party general secretary Prakash Karat.

While the Speaker appears to be in no mood to resign, sources in the CPI(M) expressed confidence that he will put in his papers before the trust vote on July 22. “The resignation may even come within the next two days,” a senior Politburo member said.

The Speaker’s reluctance to step down has put the CPI(M) in a tight spot given the fact that the Congress is openly siding with Chatterjee saying it has no problem with his continuance in office in a bid to embarrass the Left.

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Chatterjee, a former Central Committee member, is also upset with Karat’s decision to include his name in the list of CPI(M) MPs who withdrew support to the Government without consulting him.

With Chatterjee not relenting, the CPI(M) top brass had drafted the help of party patriarch Jyoti Basu to persuade him. Basu is understood to have advised Chatterjee to toe the party line to present a united face.

As Chatterjee refused to divulge anything, Karat said the party do not want the office of the Speaker being dragged into any unnecessary controversy. “I have already stated that a decision will be taken by the Speaker himself. This has been reiterated by the Speaker through a statement by his office on July 10, 2008,” the CPI(M) general secretary said.

Karat was referring to the statement issued by the Speaker’s Office that he does not represent any political party while discharging his duties and functions and since his election as the Speaker, Chatterjee has scrupulously kept himself away from all political activities.”

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Interestingly, Karat in his statement addressed Chatterjee as “comrade” while referring to the speculation in the media regarding his position.

It is not the first time that the Speaker and the CPI(M) shared different views. At the time of Presidential elections last year, Chatterjee was said to be eager for the post, but did not get the party’s support. The CPI(M) was of the view that it was for the Congress to decide on the nominee.

Even during the Vice Presidential elections, while the Samajwadi Party supported Chatterjee’s candidature, the CPI(M) showed no enthusiasm and instead favoured the candidature of Hamid Ansari to gain control of both the Houses of Parliament.