New Delhi, July 25
Had Somnath Chatterjee any spare time on his 80th birthday, he would perhaps have missed his friends from the Left who were absent from the 250-strong visitors’ list the Speaker’s residential staff drew up today. But that was not to be, with the UPA keeping Chatterjee company all day. Interestingly, the big day for Somnath Chatterjee dawned among fresh and strong speculations of a very special “birthday gift” from the Prime Minister.
Reliable sources told The Tribune that Manmohan Singh during his visit to Chatterjee yesterday offered him the position of Indian High Commissioner to the UK. That apart, the day for the Speaker remained packed with coveted political attention; the first bouquet of wishes for the Lok Sabha Speaker on his birthday came from UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi.
Her early morning visit to Chatterjee’s residence ensured the presence of all UPA allies at 20, Akbar Road, the Speaker’s official residence. All Cabinet ministers from Pranab Mukherjee to Shivraj Patil, H.R. Bhardwaj and Arjun Singh to Kumari Selja, Meira Kumar, Vyalar Ravi, Ram Bilas Paswan and Raghuvansh Prasad Singh personally called on the Speaker to convey their respect, wishes and of course political support.
Also among the high profile guests were India’s Green Man Suresh Pachauri, who managed to meet the Speaker on the day which proved unusually busy for the man who has just faced expulsion at the hands of his erstwhile party.
The Speaker’s office said he had been up since 8 a.m., tending to visitors, mainly from the UPA, in the largest reception call at his residence. While the UPA lost no chance of throwing political might behind Somnath Chatterjee on his big day, the NDA and the Left felt completely left out, or perhaps did not have the face to visit the Speaker.
From among Chatterjee's Left colleagues, no one visited him today although CPI’s general secretary A.B. Bardhan called him up to wish him well. NDA leaders also did not mark themselves present on the
special occasion. There were, however, congratulatory calls from Leader of the Opposition L.K. Advani and BJP Parliamentary Party leader V.K. Malhotra. But that was protocol, sources said.
The only ones with NDA ties to have called on the Speaker today were former vice-president Bhairon Singh Shekhawat and former union power minister Suresh Prabhu.
It was meanwhile learnt from reliable sources that the Speaker might resign before the monsoon session of Parliament, tentatively scheduled between August 11 and September 5. “That was the Speaker’s earlier plan also. He may well resign before the monsoon session and after he returns from his Commonwealth Parliamentary Meet in Malaysia,” said sources. The meet is schedule to be held Kuala Lumpur between August 1
and 10.
