Chatterjee will not quit Speaker post

New Delhi: Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee was yesterday expelled from the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) with immediate effect for violating party discipline. The CPI-M politburo, which met here yesterday to take stock of the situation following the party’s failure to dislodge the ruling coalition from power during Tuesday’s trust vote after their withdrawal of support, took a unanimous decision in this regard. “This action has been taken under Article 19 Clause 13 of the Party Constitution for seriously compromising the position of the party,” the CPI-M said in a statement. Sources close to Chatterjee have said that he has no intentions of stepping down from the post even after his expulsion, terming it as a sad development considering he had been associated with the party for the past four decades.... [read full story]