Is the party supreme, or Parliament? Somnath Chatterjee set a precedent in the Indian parliamentary history when he chose the spirit of the Constitution over his party's rulebook, over 10 years ago in July 2008, when faced with a dilemma over continuing in the post of Speaker or vote against the government of the day. The decision earned him a sobriquet of being a conscientious parliamentarian, but had to pay the price of leaving electoral politics forever. Before that he was elected to Lok Sabha 10 times, losing only once to Mamata Banerjee, the current chief minister of West Bengal.
Chatterjee’s death, after a multi-organ failure at the age of 89, marks the end of an era of stalwart parliamentarians known for their sense of propriety and oratorical prowess. Along with his CPI colleague Indrajit Gupta and former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Chatterjee would command respect inside the Lok Sabha every time he delivered a speech. Though often critical of the government, the trio would not hesitate to support it when it came to issues of national importance. In mid-nineties, when the sufi shrine Charar-e-Sharif was destroyed in a fire following the gunbattle between the holed up terrorists and armed forces, many in the Lok Sabha criticised the army action. It was left to the eloquence of Chatterjee who steered the debate in a way the security operation was not politicised.
Trained as a lawyer, Somnath contested the first time to the Lok Sabha after the death of his father who was an MP from Bengal. During his years in the Lok Sabha, Chatterjee also brought in lawyer’s felicities as he quoted rules and regulations governing the conduct of business inside the House . From 1989 till 2004, he was the leader of the CPI(M) in Lok Sabha.
“His repeated victories in Lok Sabha elections with impressive margins testified to his popularity with the masses, his standing in the party and his towering stature as a parliamentarian,” read a brief sketch on him posted by the Lok Sabha secretariat. In 1996, he was given the richly deserved Outstanding Parliamentarian Award.
Chatterjee has never missed a chance to champion the cause of the working classes and the deprived people.
He was elected as the Speaker on 4 June, 2004. Incidently, it was the first time that a ‘Speaker pro-tem’ had become a Speaker of the Lok Sabha. His name was proposed by the then Congress Party chief Sonia Gandhi. The proposal was then seconded by Pranab Mukherjee, who was the defence minister.
The then PM Manmohan Singh had shared his connection with Chatterjee recalling that, as a young boy, he received a scroll from N.C. Chatterjee, Somnath’s father, declaring him to be a proud graduate of Hindu College, Amritsar.
Even Prime Minister Narendra Modi, while replying to the motion of thanks in Lok Sabha in 2016, had quoted Somnath Chatterjee over the repeated disruptions inside the House.
The most critical part of his public life has been the conduct of the proceedings of the House during the Trust Vote of 22 July, 2008. It evoked appreciation from citizens across India and abroad. He had refused to toe the party line as it asked him to resign as Speaker and vote as an MP against the Manmohan Singh-government. The CPM, by then, had withdrawn support to the UPA over its signing of the civil nuclear deal with the USA. Chatterjee had refused to obey his party saying he was above the party lines as it had demanded of the Speaker.
It was during his tenure in 2004 that Lok Sabha started live coverage of Zero Hour. Two years later in 2006, the entire proceedings of Lok Sabha were telecast live through a separate TV channel.
Known for his “headmasterly” conduct, he often chided MPs for their unruly behavior. “I do not know what is the future of this country if Parliament of India behaves like this?” he would often say inside the House as recalcitrant members refused to listen.
He maintained a consistent line that the MPs themselves should not vote on their pay and allowances, and that the same should be decided only by an independent Commission.
Another key initiative taken by Somnath Chatterjee was the setting up of a high-tech Parliamentary Museum on India’s democratic heritage within the Parliament complex.