Former Lok Sabha speaker Somnath Chatterjee’s condition critical, on ventilator support
The long-time Communist Party of India (Marxist) leader Somnath Chatterjee’s condition turned critical on Sunday morning.
A ten-time Lok Sabha member from 1971 to 2009, Chatterjee, 89, has been on ventilator support in a city-based private hospital since August 10 and is also on dialysis.
Admitted to the hospital in end June following a hemorrhage stroke, he was released on August 5. However, his condition deteriorated again on August 10 and he was re-admitted to hospital.
The long-time Communist Party of India (Marxist) leader was the speaker of 14th Lok Sabha (2004-2009) when the Manmohan Singh-led UPA-I was in power. However, he was expelled from the party in 2008 by general secretary Prakash Karat when he refused to resign as speaker after CPI(M) and other left parties withdrew support to the government over the Indo-US nuclear deal.
Chatterjee described his expulsion as the saddest affair in his life. However, the CPI(M) leadership came under criticism from within the party, especially from its Bengal wing, for the decision to expel him. Even after his expulsion, several CPI(M) leaders including the current party general secretary, Sitaram Yechury, had been in constant touch with him.
Since August 10, several CPI(M) leaders had gone to the city- based hospital where he is admitted and enquired about his health.
Chatterjee, who has represented Burdwan, Jadavpur and Bolpur parliamentary constituencies from 1971 to 2009, was only defeated in 1984, when he faced current West Bengal chief minister, Mamata Banerjee, who was then in the Congress.
His son Pratap Chatterjee is a high-profile lawyer in the Calcutta High Court. He also has two daughters, Anuradha and Anushila, the latter being a renowned dance professional.
