Somnath Chatterjee calls a meeting of floor leaders to discuss trust vote

New Delhi, July 20 : Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee has called a meeting of the floor leaders of different political parties on Monday ahead of the special session of the House to decide on the confidence motion.

The meeting is being convened to discuss issues related to the trust vote being sought by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in the wake of Left withdrawing support to the government on the Indo-US nuclear deal.

The Speaker, a Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) member from Bolpur in West Bengal, has maintained that he has been elected to the post by all parties and that once in the post he is above party politics.

He is miffed at CPI(M) General Secretary Prakash Karat including his name in the list giving to the President of Left members in Lok Sabha who have withdrawn their to the government.

The Speaker's office had issued a statement saying that he "does not represent any political party in the discharge of his duties and functions.... Since his election as Speaker has scrupulously kept himself away from all political activities."

ANI