M A I N   N E W S

Worst period of my life: Speaker
Aditi Tandon
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, October 23
A day after the CPM alleged discrimination by Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee, the latter hit back, daring them to show that he deliberately did not allow any matter which could be raised.

Terming this the worst period of his life, Chatterjee urged members to self introspect, challenging them to tell which issue he had refused.

He again made it clear to his Left colleagues that he was on his way out, and they could not influence him.

“I am not an aspirant for anything. You can take me as gone for all purposes… but I want this institution to remain,” said an emotional Speaker.

The remarks came soon after the house met this morning, and CPM parliamentary party leader Basudeb Acharia rose to talk about the notice of adjournment given by his party.

The Left had yesterday alleged that the government and the opposition were collaborating to sideline urgent matters, and the chair was siding with them.

An exasperated Speaker immediately took on Acharia: “Have I denied any of you from making any points? Today is the fourth day of the week…we have not had even one question taken up; not a single matter could be taken up…please show little respect. This has become a fashion nowadays. Every day past 11:00 am commotion starts. I am making repeated appeals. In the first meeting of the leaders, I said there were five days and you could select five important subjects; I would allow all those to be discussed… Please do some introspection…”

Since the session started, the Left has been waiting to bring adjournment motion against the government on the issues of terrorism and anti-Christian violence.

Yesterday, Acharia said he had been giving notices but was not being allowed
to raise the matter in the house - an allegation the Speaker today dismissed in
his own way.

By the end of his observations, he had managed to calm the fiery members, who had been disrupting proceedings for four days.

The Lok Sabha functioned peacefully after a long halt today, but not without the Speaker venting out his frustration. “This is the worst period of my life...... I am going back with a lot of pain and agony,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Left’s adjournment motion will be allowed tomorrow, Chatterjee assured the Left, which still staged a walkout against reduction in rice and electricity quota of Kerala.

The walkout happened when the house was discussing matters of urgent public importance, and CPM’s N.N. Krishnadas rose to allege that the UPA was following a policy of vengeance against the Left-ruled Kerala. Acharia led the walkout.