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“For more than 30 years now, I have lived out of suitcases. I have not had a place to call my own since I became an MP. Parliament has been like my second home. Now, the first thing will be to have my own place here in Santiniketan,” Somnath said. He added that he would concentrate on finishing writing a book he wants to call Memoirs of a Parliamentarian. “I have hardly finished three chapters. At this pace, I will never be able to complete my book. I have given myself a deadline of June,” he said.
Talking of the forthcoming Lok Sabha polls, he said that it was difficult to understand the basis of political understandings among parties that do not share a common ideology. “The Third Front idea is based on a negative perspective, with a non-Congress and non-BJP stance by certain outfits. It’s all negative,” said Somnath.
He added that politicians are now sacrificing the interests of the people as they are too caught up in their own feuds. “Look at the language they use. Look at what they are doing in Parliament,” he said.
The Marxist octogenarian has, therefore, chalked out a different course for the rest of his life. “I am old and I am tired. Even my health does not permit me to work like I used to,” he said. Asked how Jyoti Basu continued to work in politics at an advanced age, he smiled and said, “That’s because he is thin and agile and I am fat. But jokes apart, Jyoti Basu is Jyoti Basu and there can be only one Jyoti Basu.”
Somnath informed that he would be leaving Delhi finally about two weeks before the election results are declared. “I have a lot of unfinished work here. I would like to start working for women’s education and empowerment here,” he said. He has selected four adivasi villages, including Balipara, Pearson Pally and Andrews Pally for this mission. “These places are a no man’s land. They are not under any municipality. We can work towards giving them basic necessities like clean water, electricity, sanitation and vocations,” he says. “I am overwhelmed by the number of people who have already offered help in my endeavor,” Somnath said.
When asked about the possibility of a return to the CPM, he said: “I did not leave the party. Moreover, why would the party call me back? I have friends in the party and I am regularly in touch with them. I visit Jyoti Basu whenever I am in Kolkata and will continue to do so.”
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Too much of parliamentarianism=somnath. He forgot the party ticket that brought him to parliament. now he wants to project parliament above politics - thats why "Memoirs of a Parliamentarian", not "...Politician". But parliament is not chair table or mikes. its a collection of politically elected representatives. how can anyone detach the parliament from the political process, from which the former evolves in its content and nature. well, only an expelled politician can do so in his existential crisis! now, the opposition to both BJP and congress (3rd front) appears negative for him. we are all interested for his negative-or-positive calculations regarding congress' neo-liberal policies or BJP's communal politics.
Independents and regional parties should be banned from contesting Lok Sabha elections. With them out, many election evils and malpractices will be eliminated.
SMC is rightly says that what this disease called third front, rootless, shameless with one agenda ,how to grab PM's chair. The poorest of poor CPM is likley to join the third front govt if they win. Just immagine what will be the govt shape with all these parasiteswith diverse thinking, idology and regressive actions.This conglomerate of eight or may be more political fragments , who never ever did any thing good for the state and the people they represent. Think of a India where maya or ghoda or any other of that group sits on the chair of India's PM.That will be a dooms day for this country.
I dont have any right to say against any MP but one thing i clearly understand that so called Third Front will push India backward bcoz they dont have any idealogy other than fighting for position in the government after election. If voted to power then i think they will not last longer and finally we will have another general election whose cost will have to bear by us finally. It will be better if BJP and Congress join hand to form a government.Atleast, addtional cost cannot be beared by people of India.
I dont understand about these MPs. When they are in power, they never do anything for the welfare of the people without thinking of votes and after retirement, they talk a lot.How will they do it now when they dont have power and resources. So it is just a eye wash or just to keep in the news.
if somnath wants to align with congress, he can go ahead straight. how he says third front is negative. is congress coalition first front or bjp coalition second front is positive? once he is out of cpm and ldf, he thinks that he can criticise any damn thing cpm works out. he should think positively. if he was in cpm now, he would have been in the forefront for the same 3rd front, which he is categorizing now as negative. what a decadence of political leaders. he became a slave of the congress. let him see the developments now. bjd ditching bjp. lalu ditching congress. more will come and a third front will definitely emerge with either mayawati or pawar or lalu as PM or dy PM.
Som Nath Chatterji's memoirs should be interesting. Since he is out of electoral politics and the unpleasant chapter of his expulsion is behind him, he can be objective and impartial. His sense of humor too must come in. The mission of empowering four adivasi villages is a noble task and everyone would wish him good luck!