E-Paper
Action too harsh, feels Bengal CPM
Some of the senior state leaders make it clear that though they were anticipating “some form of action” against him, expulsion is way beyond their imagination, reports Tanmay Chatterjee.
Speaker Somnath Chatterjee’s expulsion from the CPI(M) evoked strong reactions in the state — albeit measured and sometimes even unspoken. Some of the senior state leaders made it clear that though they were anticipating “some form of action” against him, expulsion was way beyond their imagination.
There was a feeling that Chatterjee might step down after the Hirendranath Mukherjee centenary memorial lecture in Parliament next month. CPI-M sources said he had sent feelers to the party that he would like to stay on till the event, since he had painstakingly organised it. He even reportedly told some leaders to postpone the withdrawal of support for a couple of weeks.
Patriarch Jyoti Basu, who shared a close relationship with Chatterjee since 1968 when the young lawyer became a primary member of the party, possibly felt the rudest jolt on Wednesday.
“After working for the party for so many years, I feel hurt and dejected”, said Bengal transport minister Subhas Chakraborty, Basu’s protégé. “It is the Politburo that has taken the decision. I have no comments to offer”, Assembly speaker Hashim Abdul Halim said.
