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"The Central Committee decided that no member of the party should remain the Speaker of Lok Sabha after the withdrawal of support. We were asked to communicate this to him. He did not agree...we had no option (but to take action)," CPI (M) General Secretary Prakash Karat told a press conference in Hyderabad.
He said it was "unfortunate" that the party had to take the decision but added Chatterjee can appeal against it.
When pointed out that he had said that Chatterjee would take a final decision, he said, "to continue or not as the Speaker is his decision. It is up to him. But whether he will remain as our party member that we will decide."
Karat said the Central Committee was of the view that the Left parties accepted a suggestion from the ruling party in 2004 that one of its members should be the Speaker and accepted it because "we were supporting the Government".
"The Speaker cannot be from the Opposition. Between now and 2009 we will be in the opposition," he said adding it would be difficult for the Government to function properly.
But, Karat said, on July nine, the Left became part of the Opposition after withdrawal of support and the party Central Committee was of the opinion that no member of the party can remain the Speaker after that.
On expulsion, Karat said it was "unfortunate and not a happy" decision to take against the veteran leader but they were left with no option as he refused to quit the post after a party directive.
Karat said he did not want to say anything issue which will unnecessarily create controversies on the Speaker's role.
"Only thing what I am saying is as far as my party is concerned we have exercised our party disciplinary machinery or method regarding our party," the CPI (M) leader said.
He maintained that the CPI (M) ensured that during the trust motion, they did not do anything which would interfere with the role of the Speaker.
"We have subsequently taken action strictly as per our Central Committee's mandate. In our party constitution, there are methods and measures by which any party member can appeal against any disciplinary action," he said.
On the trust vote, Karat said it did not provide legitimacy to the Manmohan Singh government and the UPA has lost the "moral authority" to govern.
Noting that there is an "absence of political consensus" on the nuclear deal, "as far as the deal is concerned, the debate showed persisting sharp division on it."
On the BJP MPs' "disturbing" accusation that a Samajwadi Party leader tried to bribe them by offering Rs three crore each for abstaining from voting, Karat said that the tape submitted by a TV channel about the episode should be made public.
Karat also said there was no reason why the TV channel was not broadcasting those tapes because "it is a matter of serious public concern and interest over what actually transpired.
"Whether these charges made by three MPs are correct or are not there are prima facie grounds for proceeding in this matter. All these are major questions. So we have demanded that this tape should be immediately made public," he said.
He also said that the Left parties have met with like-minded parties and decided to launch a nationwide campaign against the Government on price rise, failure to tackle agrarian crisis and the problems faced by farmers and rural poor.
"We will tell the country that this government is misusing institutions and agencies like CBI to harass political opponents," he said.
Mr. Somnath Chatterjee should not be a speaker at first place, I was shocked from his statement that he cannot vote along with BJP, and this means that he is not a clean man, he has this kind of opinion about the opposition party of India, and he should be kicked out of Parliament
For a man who wanted to bring down a government on an issued which he still does not understand, expelling Somnath Chatterjee is of no consequence. However the country will now remember him for two crimes: Stabbing the government by being its friend and stabbing his own party member for he was true to his character.
either communist, congress or BJP there will be no difference. All are corrupted and only we people of india should take care off of country.Horse traders cannot rule any country
It is correct for CPM to dismiss somnath.Somnathji wants to be in power.if he wants the speaker post to be above politics he shd have quit party as soon as he was elected speaker.Atleast he shd hv resigned after vote.somnath is only a better person comparitivly not a gandhi.
Fine , being CPM supported Speaker has to resign. But what about President , Vice President , top officials , governers ,foreign service people etc who are all in their positions today due to CPM recommendations and commands. Will Karat has guts to ask these people to quit as CPM whdraw support to UPA.
we had though that two relatively young leaders would have a fair sense of understanding to take the country on a faster growth when the poor and downtrodden would also be a part of the economic growth....Prakash Karat and Manmohan singh wanted to outshine each other and wanted each other's blood....though the PM has won this round it is at a cost...he has taken the parliamentary democracy to a new low...lower than what his guru had done - the cheela has gone two steps ahead of his guru PV Narshima Rao in bribing MP's, while lesser said of Karat.. who did not want to take the offcial position in the government but wanted every one to dance as per his wishes...India would do well without both of them.
Manmohan Singh Young at the age of 78 ? Some one is very sick in the head.
Hey Manoj you took 5 lacs from me to type such comments. shame on you.
Mr Somnath Chatterjee may have functioned exceptionally well as a speaker but when it came for him to choose between his party and post he should have chosen to follow the party line or else he should have resigned. In Hindu mythology the character of Vibhishan is shown as an honest, upright and a pious man. But despite his qualities he is always known as a GHAR KA BHEDI and no mother has even named her son as Vibhishan. Somnath Chatterjee has betrayed his party and it is a crime for which there can not be a forgive and forget in this case. However, it is also true that he had not been impartial bcause the rteason given by him did betray his anti BJP bias that he had carried right trough his tenure as a speaker.
No mother has named his son "Ravan" either... It's better to be a vibhisan than to be a Ravan
If not anything else, by his conduct Mr. Chatterjee exemplified indiscipline for no justifiable reason. Not a good role model for the young parliamentarians to follow. All his other credentials appear to have been tarnished by this single act.
Somnath respected Indian Constitution by remaining in Speaker's post. CPM Constitution is nothing but a piece of paper and should be thrown in the dustbi. Hats Off Somnath Chatterjee.
Right on bro. CPM's constitution is a piece of toilet paper and should be used appropriately.
Well said Whatzinaname. We should deport CPM clowns (along with Maya) to China.
Right step by the CMP, appreciated,for keeping consistancy in party administration. None of the political party does not have this, except LEFT. Lookat CONG(I)
Being a member of the party, he should accept this expel. However, at the time of voting he was in responsabile position, the resignation from speaker position is his individual judgement.I feel the part done its own justice, he should think and follow his own judgement as a responsiable indian.
Left has once again proved how incompetent, disorganised and opposed to development they are. Kerala is one such example where the economic progress
Yes, Kerala is the only state in india with 100% Lit. and majority of the poeple r above poverty line and only see fewer beggers there.
i as an intellectual fail to understand, what wrong has been done by CPM. This is what Somnath Chatterjee has been saying all along. Speaker does not belong to any party. and CPM has simply ensured this. When our PM has brought the level of the debate to its nadir by saying replying to Leader of Opposition is a waste of time, Speaker could not reprimand him what nonsense he is talking. He is duty bound to reply to Leader Of Opposition. That is basic tenet of parliamentary democracy. The PM is answerable to the parliament. Why no media has taken a very strong objection to this. Now if opposition also says asking a question from govt. is a waste of time. Then what the Speaker is going to convene the parliament for. For passing bills on the strength of cash payments to MPs for each bill. Why media are not raising their voice. or the media has also been managed. Parliament belongs to me, it is not a property of PM, Speaker and MPs and I will not allow anybody to misuse and abuse it. Let us all resolve this. A nuclear deal can not be bigger than the country. Krishan.
Though I don't support communist policy I do accept whatever done by CPM in this matter is correct. Here is the person who threatened every day in the parliament that I will resign. Finally when people asked him he told no. Even a speaker post corrupted a person of stature of somnath. If he is not obeying part diktat what is the point of his membership in that party. CPM will be wrong if they move no confidence against him in the parliament. They are absolutley right in throwing out of party. If he is so neutral he should have resigned part membership when he had taken the speaker post.
IT IS A GOOD DECISION. NO ONE IS ABOVE PARTY. ALL HAS TO FOLLOW THE GUIDELINES OF THE PARTY. WHOSOEVER, IS UNHAPPY, CAN QUIT THE PARTY. THERE HAS TO RULE FOR ALL, WHETHER HE/SHE IS SENIOR OR JUNIOR. IN THIS WAY THE PARTY DISCIPLINE WILL BE MAINTAINED AND FOLLOWED BY ALL.
WE CAN ALL READ THIS BLASPHEMY OF THEINDIAN LEFT WHICH OBSTRUCTS AND DESTRUCTS,ALL THAT IS OF CONSEQUENCE.
The communists take pride in staying together as a flock. In the current situation, they have choose to desert and distance themselves from Mr. Chatterjee. One should commend Mr. Chatterjee for his stance. He knew this was coming, and the lal(RED) is pretty close to his heart, he still choose to uphold the dignity of the office. There are very few people who would have done this.
In 2004, the Left made a conscious decision to allow Somnath Chatterjee to become the Speaker. It was Left's decision and wish. This decision also entails, that from that point of time onwards, till the 14th Loksabha lives, the Left would be willing to sacrifice the vote of one of their MPs in exchange of the privilege of seeing one of their ranks adorning the highest legislative position of the largest democracy in the world. It is a voluntary sacrifice. Once they have made that sacrifice, it is not for them to try to undo it. They are not allowed to retrieve the Speaker's vote as and when they wish. So I do not agree with CPI(M)'s explanation, that being a CPI(M) MP, Somnath needs to listen to party diktat.If the Left so desired to retain every last vote, they should not have put Somnath Chatterjee's name for Speaker in the first place. Too bad for them. The Communists need to learn to live in a constitutional democracy.
Raj wrote, "Communists need to learn to live in a constitutional democracy". Their entire orthodox structure and approach is alien to this concept. They are the 'dictatorship of the proletariat'. The 'politburo' is the vanguard of the proletariat. Even the word politburo has a foreign origin. The term originates from the Russian Politicheskoye Buro, which contracts to Politburo. Our communists imbibe an alien culture and a dictatorial approach. What they did to Somnath Chatterjee is quite in line with their oft-demonstrated approach.
Mr. Raj, You put it very correctly. But I do not think Mr. Karat is a man who can understand these kind of thing. India is very lucky that we did not have a President who is a communist nominee. Does Mr. Karat -who is a gen secretary of a party, understand the meaning of constitutional posts? I do not think so. He is so obsessed with undue publicity and coverage, he lost balance. He started to think the same way, as small time leaders like Mayavathi etc, that the world is running because of them. NOBODY IS INDISPESEBLE. Mohammod Nabi, Jesus Christ, Lord Ram, Indira Gandhi, Lenin, Marx....all come and gone. Nothing happened to this world. In fact the world is running better after all them gone. Mr. Karat must come down to earth.
After trying to bring down the Government, the Left lost face and now with the expulsion of Mr. Somnath Chatterjee, the Left has no face Left to showcase. It is time that Prakash Karat resigns on moral grounds for failing to fullfill the Lefts agenda of bringing down the government. It will be good for the Left and Indian politics on the whole. As put by one of the political experts, if india is given to left, there will be nothing left of india.
Prakash It is Karats agends to put his own and his partys interest above Speakers. Therefore my friend it is futile to deal with this ideology where patriotism takes second seat to overzealous party ideology. You have seen the fallo of the soviets and now we Indians have seen the true colour of the REDS. Beware they can anihilate you if you do not go with their ideology see Mr Somnaths fate now.
I agree with you. The left wants people who are PatREDiotic first before being patriotic. Anyway nothing seems to be going RIGHT for the LEFT. Left has showcased a new dimension to their ideology by expelling Mr. Somnath. The new theme .. Discharging your Duty as per the constitution is punishable if it is against the Party's changing agenda.
Mr. Somanath Chatterjee's objection was that leftist are voting along with BJP againsst the UPA, WHICH IS A SIN ACCORDING TO HIM. This means that he has biased opinion about the major opposition prty in the Lok Sabha. Speaker is supposed to be neutral and cannot have any biased opinion. Mr. Somanath Chatterjee should resign from the speaker's post immediately. Further Speaker's post was allotted to the left for supporting the UPA from outside. Once the support is removed , the party's candidate must quit immediately. Somanath Chatterjee is conveniently quoting the convention.
Well, how can he say the real reason that he wanted to visit Malaysia on tax-payer's expense ?
It is unfortunate that people like Karat hold or held any semblance of power in India. They are the reason why India got stuck while the world moved ahead in the first 50 yrs of independence. Finally India is moving ahead - thanks a lot to "Singh is King" - and this guy is still trying to put road blocks.
BECAUSE OF MR. SING's POLICLY INDIA WOULD NOT HAVE ANY EXPERTISE IN ANY FIELD.INDIA WOULD NOT DEVELOP ANY TECHNOLOGY AND BORROW FROM US AND EUROPE. ONE DAY THEY WILL WITHDRAW EVERYTHING AND INDIA WILL BE IN DARK. MR SING IS THE PRIME MINISER WHO IS GOING TO FINISH OUR COUNTRY FOR EVER.
It would have been nice, if Mr. Prakash would have resigned and be sacked. Who is going to ask for the bad decisions that Mr. Karat took? With the sacking of Mr. Somnath Chatterjee, Iam sure that CPI(M) has started falling down. I feel that Mr. Somnath Chatterjee has maintained his reputation, and shown exactly what he has stood for. The whole nation will understand that. But the same people will never forgive Mr. Karat and his people.
Becoz he is telling that Indian Constitution is secondary to party rules.
Yes Yes National interests are smaller than the Partys for the communists. Therefore it is true that for the Left Country comes second and these guys should be shown the door. The sole purpose is to kill any that do not subscribe to this ideology, They might as well go to China and may they be remminded that the Great Soviets are nowhere to be seen.
WHAT IS NATIONAL INTEREST. INDIA IS GOING TO GET OBSLETE NUCLEAR TECHNOLOGY OF US, ONCE DEAL IS MATERIALISED. A LOT OF APPREHENSION IS THEIR ABOUT NUCLEAR TECHNOLOGY. EVEN US AND EUROPIAN COUNTRIES ARE NOT SHOWING ANY INTEREST IN THAT TECHNOLOGY. US IS PLANNING SOME DANGEROUS AFFAIRS WITH INDIA. SNGH AND SIMILAR AMERICAN SLAVES SUPPORT IT .
and you will get India's national interest comes only after China's for Kara(i)t.
The reasoning put out by the CPM for the expulsion of Mr. Somnath Chatterjee is curious. If the Speaker who is a veteran parliamentarian continues to be bound by the party discipline and is expected to relinquish office the moment the latter withdrew outside support to the govt., he should have been consulted when the strategy to pull down the govt. was being formulated. The manner in which his name was included in the list submitted to the President without his consent, it is clear that the party took his consent for granted and undermined the office of the Speaker since, once elected, the Speaker is constitutionally above party politics . While publically maintaining that it was up to the Speaker to decide whether to resign or not, the younger members of the politburo continued to exert pressure on him indirectly. Elevation of Mr. Chatterjee by a unanimous vote brought honor to CPM and not vice versa. But little else can be expected from a party, which denied the prime minister ship to Mr. Jyoti Basu at the insistence of the same politburo, which was described as a "historic blunder" later. What is more interesting is that only half of the members ("available politburo") were present to take the historic decision and the procedure adopted was totally undemocratic since no show cause notice was given nor an opportunity given to Speaker to defend himself. CPM can legitimately claim that it was an internal matter of the party. However, a party, which claims to be democratic and demanded access to the text of an international agreement before its finalization in the name of transparency should seriously examine its own record of functioning. Charity after all, begins at home.
As an Indian we should demand an enquiry for a possible nexus between Communist parties of India and China. The results will be good enough to shack the nation. We know it all but we need to bring it out for public with soild proofs.
What can one say about the hypocricy of C.P.M ? Who still hold india responsible for India-china war,are now opposing nuke treaty with U.S.,
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