Leaders Honor Former Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee on His Birth Anniversary
New Delhi, India – On July 25, current Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, along with other leaders, paid floral tribute to former Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee at the Constitution House of the Parliament. Birla was joined by Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman Harivansh Narayan Singh and other leaders.
Om Birla expressed his respect on X, stating, “Respectful remembrance of former Lok Sabha Speaker Shri Somnath Chatterjee ji on his birth anniversary. He enhanced the prestige of the Speaker’s chair by his efficient and clean conduct of the House. He played an important role in further brightening the aura of our parliamentary democracy by nurturing legislative traditions.”
Union Minister Jual Oram also paid tribute, saying, “Remembering Former MP and Speaker of Lok Sabha, Shri Somnath Chatterjee on his birth anniversary. An outstanding parliamentarian and a man of principle, he was also a voice for the downtrodden.”
Somnath Chatterjee, who passed away in 2018 at the age of 89, was associated with the Communist Party of India (Marxist) and served as the Lok Sabha Speaker from 2004 to 2009 during the UPA-I rule. He was an advocate by profession and became a member of the Lok Sabha in 1971 as an independent candidate supported by the CPI(M). He was one of the longest-serving parliamentarians, having been elected as the MP in Lok Sabha ten times from 1971 to 2009, except in the 1984 election where he was defeated by Mamata Banerjee.
Chatterjee was elected Speaker of the 14th Lok Sabha after being named pro tem speaker following the 2004 General Election. He was the second pro-tem Speaker to be elected to the House by a unanimous vote after Ganesh Vasudev Mavalankar. In 2008, he was expelled from the CPI(M) for refusing to step down as Speaker after the party withdrew support from the UPA coalition. Chatterjee declined to vote against the government in the No-Confidence Motion, which would have required him to support the opposition BJP. He retired from active politics in 2009.
Doubts Revealed
Lok Sabha -: Lok Sabha is the lower house of India’s Parliament, where elected representatives make laws and discuss important issues.
Speaker -: The Speaker is the person who presides over the meetings of the Lok Sabha and ensures that the discussions are conducted in an orderly manner.
Somnath Chatterjee -: Somnath Chatterjee was a respected Indian politician who served as the Speaker of the Lok Sabha from 2004 to 2009.
Birth Anniversary -: A birth anniversary is the yearly celebration of the day someone was born.
Om Birla -: Om Birla is the current Speaker of the Lok Sabha, responsible for overseeing its sessions.
Constitution House -: The Constitution House is a significant building in India where important political events and meetings take place.
Communist Party of India (Marxist) -: The Communist Party of India (Marxist) is a political party in India that believes in the principles of communism, which focuses on equality and the welfare of all people.
Principled stance -: A principled stance means having strong beliefs and sticking to them, even when it is difficult.
Advocacy for the downtrodden -: Advocacy for the downtrodden means supporting and fighting for the rights of people who are poor or treated unfairly.
