The Hindu : Front Page : Somnath Chatterjee set to be Speaker

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, May 26, 2004

Front Page

Front Page

Somnath Chatterjee set to be Speaker

By Marcus Dam

KOLKATA, MAY 25. The Polit Bureau of the Communist Party of India (Marxixt), after day-long discussions here today, unanimously decided to "spare" Somnath Chatterjee for the post of Speaker of the 14th Lok Sabha following the Congress offer of the post to him.

The decision has been taken "in view of his [Mr Chatterjee's] experience in Parliament," the CPI(M) general secretary, Harkishan Singh Surjeet, said after the Polit Bureau meeting.

"The whole country has appreciated his contribution in Parliament... and it is they [the Congress] who have suggested that he be the new Speaker. The suggestion did not come from our end," he added.

Details of the Common Mininimum Programme [CMP] proposed by the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance were also discussed at the meeting. There were obvious differences regarding certain aspects of the CMP and "corrections would have to be made," Mr. Surjeet said.

The issue would be taken up for further discussions in New Delhi tomorrow with other Left parties, he said "till we finally come up with our recommendations. We will then inform them [the Congress] of our views."

Asked whether the CPI(M) would be a signatory to the CMP or propose an alternative document, Mr. Surjeet said: "I do not think the question of an alternative document arises. Let us continue with our talks and hope that most of our demands will be accommodated."

The West Bengal units of two other Left parties — the RSP and the Forward Bloc — have given a similar response on the CMP issue.

Asked about the possibility of the CPI(M) withdrawing its support to the Congress-led coalition Government in the event of differences on the CMP not being ironed out, Mr. Surjeet ruled it out.

The Polit Bureau, which met twice during the day, reconvening in the afternoon after the lunch-break, also discussed the Kerala unit's opposition to the induction of E. Ahmed of the Muslim League in the new Government. "We have resented the move... as it amounts to communalisation of politics and will express this to the Congress. But we can only express our opinion on the matter and are not in a position to take any sort of decision [regarding his removal]," Mr. Surjeet said.

He said the CPI(M) did not endorse the idea of people who were "defeated in the elections being nominated" as Ministers at the Centre.

Mr. Surjeet dismissed all talk of his becoming the convener of the UPA with the Congress president, Sonia Gandhi, as its chairperson. "There is no question of this as we [the CPI(M)] are not part of the alliance. We will be maintaining our independent entity," he said. As for Ms. Gandhi being appointed chairperson, "it was their matter," he said.

He also announced the Polit Bureau's decision to appoint Basudev Acharya as the CPI(M) leader in Parliament, now that it had been agreed that Mr. Chatterjee would become the Speaker.

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