7 yrs on, CPM to welcome Somnath back

Subhrangshu Gupta

Tribune News Service

Kolkata, July 20

Expelled CPM leader Somnath Chatterjee who was also a former Lok Sabha member will be honourably inducted back into the party, the party’s all India general secretary Sitaram Chatterjee told mediapersons after meeting the former at his Bolpur house yesterday.

The seven-time MP from West Bengal was reportedly removed for refusing to act as the speaker as per direction of the party during the confidence vote in the Lok Sabha against the UPA-I government in July 2008 after the party’s withdrawal of support from the government on the Indo-US nuclear deal issue. In the voting on the motion which the Left opposed, the Manmohan Singh government survived.

Yechuri and the party’s central committee member Shyamal Chakraborty called on the veteran leader at his residence and formally requested him to return to the party since the party now needed his advice and leadership during this party’s critical period.

“Somnath is an asset to the party. He has agreed to rejoin us within four-five days after completing some formalities,” said the party secretary.

Somnath, however, said he had not yet taken a final decision. “I am now quite old and also not physically well. I will not be able to actively participate in the party’s activities,” he said, adding that in future, if possible, he would attend the party meetings and conferences if his health permitted.