Suspense over Chatterjee continues
With Chatterjee apparently reluctant to quit the post, CPI(M) General Secretary Prakash Karat issued a statement in which he said he has already stated that any 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," he said in the release.
Interestingly, Karat called the Speaker as "Comrade" Somanth Chatterjee and refered to a lot of speculation in the media regarding his position.
"We do not want the office of the Speaker being dragged into any unnecessary controversy," Karat said.
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While there was no word from the Speaker, maverick CPI(M) Leader from West Bengal Subhas Chakrabarty, considered a protege of Marxist patriarch Jyoti Basu, said the post of Speaker has its sanctity and is above politics.
Chatterjee was elected unanimously by members of all parties and his case should not be viewed as a CPI(M) party affair, he said.
While withdrawing support to the UPA Government on July nine, the Left parties put the Speaker's name in the list of MPs for the purpose.