Somnath wants an end to Atal letter episode

Speaker Somnath Chatterjee today put an end to the controversy arising out of former Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee's strongly worded letter to him regarding the NDA's boycott of the Lok Sabha. "A studied silence is more eloquent," said a cleary uncomfortable Speaker.

Vajpayee had, in his letter, raised questions regarding the "partisanship" attitude of Chatterjee.

The controversy over the letter, which rocked House proceedings yesterday, may have ended but not not the bitterness created by it. A meeting between Leader of the House and Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee and Leader of the Opposition L K Advani earlier in the day also did not not appear to have helped bring about a truce on the issue.

"The Speaker is more of an institution than a person and any aspersions on the keystone of parliamentary democracy is an indictment on all all its constituents," said Mukherjee when he was allowed to read out a statement condemning Vajpayee's letter..

Leader of the Opposition L K Advani differed with Mukherjee and asked that the letter be read as "a sage advice from a senior statesmen to the Chair". He added that every word of the letter was endorsed by each and every party comprising the NDA. The letter was not placed on record.

Chatterjee, in the eye of the storm, appeared deeply uncomfortable by the entire episode. "What has come to me has come to me. This episode should be over," Chatterjee said pleading with members not not to prolong the "painful chapter".

He said there were different interpretations of the contents of the letter and he has not expressed his feelings. He said he had not mentioned the contents of the letter in the House as he had "great fortune and privilege" of working with Vajpayee since 1971. "I have equal respect for him, if not more," he told the BJP members.