Pranab Mukherjee condoles Somnath Chatterjee's demise

Former President Pranab Mukherjee offered condolences to the family of former Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee and recalled his relationship with the latter.

"I had a very good and cordial relationship with him (Somnath). The country has lost one of the most outstanding parliamentarians, Bengal has lost a very tall leader. My deepest condolences to his family and to his numerous admirers," he said.

Somnath, aged 89, passed away on Monday morning after a prolonged illness. The Communist Party of India (Marxist) veteran was suffering from a kidney ailment and was put on ventilator support from Saturday.

Former Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI-M) state chief Biman Bose, who arrived at Chatterjee's residence to pay his last respects, was reportedly asked to leave by the former speaker's son. However, Bose downplayed the situation and said "I don't mind his behaviour. He is completely broken by the loss of his father. He was actually not liked by his father also."

Born on July 25, 1929, Chatterjee was a ten-time Lok Sabha MP. He was one of the longest-serving parliamentarians in India. He served as the Speaker of the Lok Sabha from 2004 to 2009.