It is unfortunate that the high office of the Speaker of Lok Sabha has been tarnished and Mr. Somnath Chatterjee has been expelled by his own party for not abiding by its dictate. We are not following the American model where the Speaker is also a leader of a parlimentary party and could even act as a leader of the Opposition, but the Westminster model where he is considered to be non-partisan from the moment of his election to that august post. Whatever be his defaults and blunders as a mere member of the parliament and as chairman of the West Bengal Industrial Finance Corporation and holder of other offices, it is generally accepted that Mr. Chatterjee acted ably and fairly in discharge of his office of the Speaker and won the plaudits from the parliament and of the nation too. Especially during the stormy sessions of the House on 21-22 July on the Confidence Motion moved by the Prime Minister, his impartial way in conducting the House amidst great stress and strain - and what touched my heart, the avuncular affection with which he treated even his political opponents, like Shah Nawaz of the BJP – drew deserving praise from all parties in the country. If anything, he brought laurels to his own party by his sterling conduct of the House as the Speaker and it is incomprehensible how a bunch of inexperienced leaders of that party could decide that ‘he seriously compromised the position of the party’ and that too in such a summary fashion on the very next day after the trust vote. This is but a kind of fascist organizational anarchy, and certainly not a marxian democratic manner. Somnath Chatterjee lamented it as the ‘saddest day’ in his life. It is truly sad also for all those who believe in democratic norms that can alone guide any parliament or political parties successfully towards the construction of a really democratic welfarist society * * *
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