Former Lok Sabha speaker and one of the most seasoned leaders of the CPI(M) Somnath Chatterjee was admitted to a Kolkata hospital on Wednesday after suffering a major stroke.
No medical bulletin has been issued by the Belle Vue Clinic, on the request of Chatterjee's family members. On Thursday, doctors are expected to do a CT scan of Chatterjee's brain and decide on the feasibility of conducting a surgery.
According to sources, Chatterjee was in the ICU and in a very critical state. Chatterjee (89) fell ill on Monday and was initially treated at home. He was later shifted to hospital after his condition deteriorated.
Chatterjee had been expelled by the CPI(M) in 2008 for refusing to resign as speaker after his party withdrew support to the UPA-1 government. Chatterjee had recently held several press conferences against alleged rigging in the panchayat polls by the ruling TMC, even though he was ailing.
Chatterjee had then said, “Even at this ripe age, I have to do this. What could be more powerful than this?"
Chatterjee was a central committee member of the CPI(M) and was known to be a strong opponent of Prakash Karat.