By IANS,
Kendrapada : Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee should not resign from the post, former speaker Rabi Ray said Tuesday.
“The speaker should work as a neutral person in parliament. Chatterjee has been discharging his work as a speaker perfectly,” Ray told IANS here.
“It would be unfortunate for the parliamentary democracy if the name of the speaker is dragged into controversy,” said Ray, criticizing those who have been demanding Chatterjee’s resignation.
Chatterjee, a CPI-M MP from Bolpur in West Bengal, was elected the speaker of the lower house as part of the CPI-M-led Left parties’ understanding with the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) in 2004.
As the Left parties withdrew their support to the UPA government last week, the CPI-M listed his name among its MPs in its letter to the president.
Chatterjee has been under pressure to quit the post following his party’s decision to withdraw support to the government.
“The Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) committed a blunder by including Chatterjee’s name in its list to the president,” Rabi Ray said.
“The speaker has an independent role in parliament and he is not representing any political party,” said Ray, who served as speaker during 1989-1991 period.