Demand for Somnath's return to CPI(M) raised

Nearly seven years after former CPI(M) veteran Somnath Chatterjee was expelled by the party, a demand has been raised for his return to the party he had served for more than 40 years.

The demand to take back the 10-time MP and former Lok Sabha Speaker was raised during the ongoing 24th state conference of the party in the presence of party general secretary Parkash Karat who played a key role in his expulsion in July 2008 on the charge of anti-party activity.

Chatterjee, however, expressed reluctance to rejoin the party, citing his old age, though he had maintained relation with a number of present leaders including Gautam Deb.

A senior state committee member, who wished to remain anonymous, said that several leaders who attended the party conference had asked the party leadership to take back Chatterjee.

The leader said that Chatterjee even campaigned for Gautam Deb during the 2011 Assembly poll. The state committee member said that when members raised the demand, the leadership present on the dais asked them not to press the issue at the state conference since it does not have the authority to take back Chatterjee. "The leadership asked the members not to raise the issue as the decision whether Somnathda can be taken back or not can be decided by the central committee only," the state committee member said.

When inquired whether he would return to the party if CPI(M) decides to take him back, Chatterjee told PTI, "I can't answer these hypothetical questions. But the fact is that I have retired from politics long back and I don't want to rejoin it again." Chatterjee, who was the Speaker of Lok Sabha during the first UPA regime from 2004-2009, was expelled from the party after he refused to step down as Speaker and follow the party whip during the Left's withdrawal of support from the UPA regime over the Indo-US nuclear deal.