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West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee pays last respects to former Lok Sabha speaker Somnath Chatterjee at State Assembly, in Kolkata on Monday, August 13, 2018. Chatterjee passed away today at a private hospital following multiple organ failure. (PTI Photo/Ashok Bhaumik) [/caption]
PTI/IANS
Kolkata/New Delhi, Aug. 13 (PTI): Communist veteran and former Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee passed away at a private hospital here this morning following multiple organ failure. He was 89.
The 10-time Lok Sabha MP is survived by his wife Renu, a son and two daughters. Chatterjee passed away around 8.15 am after his condition deteriorated following a mild heart attack yesterday, a hospital official said.
"He suffered multiple organ failure and had stopped responding to treatment late last night," the official told PTI. His body was taken to the state Assembly, where it was accorded a gun salute, and then to his residence.
Chatterjee, who was associated with the Communist Party of India-Marxist for most of his life, had donated his body to medical science. It will be handed over to the government-run SSKM hospital later in the day.
He had suffered a cardiac arrest, systemic sepsis and renal failure along with respiratory problems and underlying diabetes, said a senior doctor, who was treating him. Chatterjee suffered a mild heart attack yesterday morning but was revived.
The former speaker had suffered a haemorrhagic stroke last month. Known as a 'Bhadralok (gentleman) Communist' like his mentor Jyoti Basu, Chatterjee had been under treatment for the past 40 days. He was discharged from hospital just for three days after his health had shown signs of improvement.
However, his condition deteriorated last Tuesday and he had to be hospitalised again, the hospital official said. Leaders across party lines condoled the death of Chatterjee, describing him as an outstanding parliamentarian who enriched Indian politics.
In condolence, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he was a stalwart of Indian politics.
"He made our parliamentary democracy richer and was a strong voice for the well-being of the poor and vulnerable," the prime minister said.
Congress President Rahul Gandhi said Chatterjee was an institution who was greatly respected and admired by all parliamentarians across party lines.
"He was a remarkable human being, an eminent parliamentarian and a very clear headed speaker of the Lok Sabha. I convey my heartfelt condolences to the bereaved family," said former vice president M Hamid Ansari in a condolence message.
Recalling her long association with Chatterjee, Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan said he was from a different ideology, but was always kind to her.
"I have been observing Somnath da from the very first day I entered Parliament and learnt a lot from him. He was a big brother to me," Mahajan told reporters.
She added that Chatterjee's tenure as the Lok Sabha speaker was a guide for her and he had established that the speaker's post was above politics by refusing to step down from his position.
Chatterjee, who was speaker of the Lok Sabha from 2004 to 2009, was expelled from the CPI (M) in 2008 for refusing to resign as speaker after his party withdrew support to the UPA-I government.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said the death of "Somnath Da" was a "great loss for us all". Chatterjee was a central committee member of the CPI (M), which he had joined in 1968.
The CPI-M on Monday issued a brief condolence message on the death of veteran Communist leader and former Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee that conspicuously avoided any reference to his long association with the party.
"The Polit Bureau of CPI-M expresses its grief and sorrow at the death of former Speaker and 10-time Member of the Lok Sabha, Somnath Chatterjee," the condolence message from the Communist Party of India-Marxist read.
"Somnath Chatterjee was a veteran parliamentarian who played an important role in defending the foundations of the Indian Constitution particularly its secular democratic foundations and federalism.
"As an eminent lawyer by profession, he also took up the cause of the working class and the deprived to ensure justice is delivered to them. The Polit Bureau conveys its heartfelt condolences to his wife and children," it added.
Former Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee's family on Monday turned down the request of the CPI-M leadership to drape the expelled member's body in the red flag and allow him to be taken to the party's West Bengal state headquarters here for people to pay their last respects.
"The party had requested us that they want to take the body to the state headquarters for partymen to pay their respects. But we said, we don't want. The party had requested us that they wanted to drape the body with red flag. We refused," Chatterjee's daughter Anushila Basu said.
Anushila recalled that she had seen her father shed tears the day the party expelled him.
"I was in Delhi then. I told my father that from now on, you are a free bird. My father asked me whether he has been show caused? I told him the truth....After some time, I went to see him at his chamber. I found him sitting in his ante-chamber with tears rolling down his eyes," she said.
However, she said Chatterjee to the last had a deep love for the party.
"We often tried to provoke him to speak against the party. But he never uttered a word against the party. So deep was his fondness. The divorce was only on pen and paper. But mentally, he was not divorced from the party," she said.
Anushila said a number of other parties and others had come to his father with many lucrative offers. "But his answer was always the same -- No".
