Somnath may face suspension or expulsion

Now it is Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee vs the Left, which could be culminated into remaining 'vs' in perpetuity or 'patching up' between the two with former's stepping down from the post to vote against the UPA and coming along the party line. But, time does matter here. July 22 will be the decisive day for Chatterjee whether he quits from the post or faces expulsion from the party as it is learnt that during CPM's central committee meeting on July 19-20, the committee could authorise the politburo to take appropriate action against Chatterjee, which could be either suspension or even expulsion.

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So far, Somnath Chatterjee has been appearing adamant on his stand, not to quit the post till July 22, amid the increasing oppositions and condemnations from the party across the country. However, the CPM has shown trust on him saying most respectable senior leader and hoping him to take decision in favour of the party. But, nobody knows what decision he will take. Even Mr. Chatterjee himself doesn't know what he will do on July 22. He has already declared that if he is made to forcible resign, he will relinquish the post as well as his candidature as Member of Parliament.

Working hard to managing every vote as a single vote could be decisive, CPM in its last ditch attempt to placate Mr. Chatterjee issued a note on Wednesday blaming the controversy on 'disinformation campaign.'

"A disinformation campaign on the issue of inclusion of the Lok Sabha Speaker’s name in the CPM MPs list submitted to the President of India is doing the rounds," CPM leader and politburo member Sitaram Yechury said in a statement issued here.

In the statement Yechury remodelling his earlier remarks said, “What I had said is that the Speaker’s name should be included in the CPM list as he was elected as a CPM candidate but with an asterisk denoting that currently he is the Lok Sabha Speaker as is the normal parliamentary practice.”

Such a statement would put effect on Chatterjee or not, is difficult to say at this juncture of time. A disheartening statement, for the CPM, issued from the Secretariat of states: Since he had relinquished his central committee membership at a time of electing as a Speaker, he did not belong to any party. Moreover, he was not elected as a nominee of any party. “In the discharge of his duties and functions, he does not owe allegiance to any political party.”

But, contrary to this viewpoint, CPM says he was made Speaker as he was member of CPM and if party has snapped relations with the government, he has no moral right to sit on Speaker's post.

Same is the opinion expressed by Kerala comrade, the first from Kerala to say openly against Chatterjee, Varkala Radhakrishnan saying: “He became a Speaker after the UPA and Left entered into an alliance. He was duly elected as a CPM candidate. He is morally bound to resign when support to the Government is snapped by the Left parties.”

Some other top leaders from Bengal including party patriarch Jyoti Basu, despite approving Chatterjee's contention, has suggested him to step down and come along the party line to show a united face of the party.