Somnath retires from active politics
New Delhi, Feb 27: Somnath Chatterjee, the 14th Lok Sabha Speaker announced his retirement from active politics on Friday, Feb 27. Announcing his long 39 years of parliamentary career, the Speaker said that he was misunderstood may times during his career.
When asked will he still consider himself a 'Comrade' after the CPM expelled him, Chatterjee said "I am a Communist. Communism is not anybody's monopoly." He was expelled from CPI-M after he refused to follow the party line and quit his post as Speaker from Lok Sabha after Left parties withdrew support to the UPA government. He said added that once a member is elected as a Speaker, he should dissociate himself from party.
Somnath said that he was unhappy over the frequent disruptions of the house and the conduct of MPs. He also said that MPs should participate in the progress of the nation. "I appeal to the good people to join politics to change it," he said.
The Speaker who earned a reputation of upholding the high standards of the legislature expressed his sorrow that a bill to reserve one-third of seats in Parliament and the state legislatures for women could not passed during tenure. He hoped his successors would bring more laurels than he did.
OneIndia News