Chatterjee was addressing the media outside his sister’s home in Salt Lake.

“I am observing the situation. I am noting what everyone is saying. I will also consider the opinion of others. I will give a statement on the expulsion within a couple of days,” he said.

“I am still the Speaker. I need some time. The central committee and Politburo meetings are just over. I need to think. I leave it to the people to judge me,” Chatterjee added.

Chatterjee visited Kolkata on Monday, for the first time after his expulsion from the CPM. Throughout the day there were speculations that Chatterjee will meet veteran party leader Jyoti Basu at his Indira Bhawan residence in Salt Lake. He, however, skipped visiting Basu’s residence.

Senior party leaders and his close comrades , were conspicuously absent. A CPM leader said “after expulsion, it is not natural for senior party leaders to meet him.”

Chatterjee, who arrived here in the morning, avoided reporters and left the airport through a side gate for his residence. Later he visited the Calcutta Medical Research Institute to meet an ailing relative. He then went to his sister’s house.

The usual humdrum associated with Chatterjee , whenever he visited the city was not there. Last time when he had visited before the trust vote, Hasim Abdul Halim, Speaker of the state Legislative Assembly and Subhas Chakraborty, state transport minister, reportedly visited him at his office in Raj Bhawan.

Chatterjee had last visited the city two days before the trust vote to meet his ailing elder sister and in connection with a family bereavement. He was expelled from the party a day after the trust vote for not heeding to its diktat to step down. According to sources close to Chatterjee, he is scheduled to leave for Kuala Lampur in a couple of days on Commonwealth programme and will be returning on July 10.