Speaker protests, offers to resign

The chair has become irrelevant: Chatterjee

Upset at the way the Lok Sabha was adjourned yesterday over Railway Minister Lalu Prasad's absence from the House, Speaker Somnath Chatterjee made a surprise announcement to step down, saying the chair has become "totally irrelevant".

According to sources, the Speaker was particularly upset that the charge against him was led by former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, whom he particularly respects.

"After what transpired in the House, a meeting was held in the Speaker's chamber where too Vajpayee remained adamant on getting the House adjourned till Prasad made a statement on the Punjab train  accident," said a source.

Chatterjee referred to this in his statement in the Lok Sabha, saying, he had to adjourn the House yesterday after a request by Vajpayee and Leader of the Opposition LK Advani, "reluctantly and with great sorrow".

He did not, however, execute the threat and carried on with the proceedings, shortly after reading out from a statement in which he expressed his "agony" over the charges of being dictatorial, made by the Opposition in the House. He particularly objected to the word "tanashah" (dictator) being used by the Opposition.

"If members are not happy with the present incumbent, I shall have no regrets in leaving it. I was happy facing the chair than occupying it," Chatterjee said. "The chair does not have any prestige any longer and has become irrelevant," he said.

"I am thankful to all for giving me assurance of their help and cooperation. But in spite of that the House could not function yesterday after the question hour. Further, I have been accused of indulging in dictatorship," he said.

The NDA has convened a meeting to "consider" the Speaker's statement. "We had not directed our criticism at the Speaker, but at the government. The word 'tana-shah' was in reference to the UPA regime," said VK Malhotra, BJP spokesman.

"We must also at the same time express our dissatisfaction with the way the House is being run, we want the Speaker to convene a meeting of all parties for this," he added.