THERE WAS NO ALTERNATIVE WHEN PUSHED TO WALL. MR CHATTERJEE WAS FIRST OF ALL CPM MEMBER, THEN MP AND THEN MADE SPEAKER WHEN CPM DECIDED TO SUPPORT CONG TO FORM AND RUN GOVT. WHEN PARTY DECIDED TO WITHDRAW SUPPORT AND NOT ALLOW CONG TO RUN GOVT, CHATTERJEE WHO HAD NOT RESIGNED FROM PARTY MEMBERSHIP AND CONTINUED AS CPM MP SHOULD HAVE FOLLOWED PARTY LINE TO JOIN OTHER CPM MP. THAT HE COULD HHAVE DONE ONLY AFTER RESIGNING AS SPEAKER
IT IS SPEAKERS POSITION WHICH IS APOLITICAL WHEN YOU PRESIDE OVER THE HOUSE. BUT HAVING GONE TO HOUSE AS CPM MP AND REMAINED AS A MEMBER OF CPM EVEN AFTER BECOMING SPEAKER IT IS CONVENIENT SHIELD OF CONSTITUTIONAL POSITION.
IN FACT BY EXPRESSING HIS VIEWS THAT CPM IIS DOING WRONG BY VOTING WITH BJP, HE HAS EXPRESSED HIS CLEAR BIAS. HOW CAN HE TAKE A STAND AS CPM MEMBER TO ADVISE HIS PARTY AND STILL SAY HE IS ABOVE PARTY. AND HOW DID HE GET THIS WISDOM OF NOT VOTING WITH BJP WHEN IT WAS THE OTHER WAY ROUND. THIS TIME BJP WAS VOTING TO SUPPORT THE LINE OF CPM WHO WAS MORE AGAINST DEAL WHICH BROUGHT ABOUT VOTING SITUATION. BJP AFTER ALL IS NOT THAT MUCH AGAINST DEAL AS THE CPM IS.
SOMNATHJI HAS NO MORAL GROUND TO PREACH TO CPM NOT TO VOTE AGAINST UPA BECAUSE BJP WAS TOEING CPM LINE. MR CHATTERJEE HIMSELF HAD VOTED WITH ALL CPM MEMBERS WITH BJP TO PULL DOWN NARASIMHA RAO GOVT.
HE SHOULD HAVE REVOLTED AGAINST THE PARTY WHEN CPM DID NOT ALLOW JYOTI DA TO BECOME PM AND THE POLITBUREAU THRUST COMPARATIVELY FAR MEDIOCRE PM
