- Born:
- July 25, 1929, Tezpur, India
- Died:
- August 13, 2018, Kolkata (aged 89)
- Title / Office:
- Lok Sabha (1971-2009), India
- Political Affiliation:
- Communist Party of India
Somnath Chatterjee
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Who was Somnath Chatterjee?
Somnath Chatterjee was an Indian lawyer, politician, and parliamentarian notable as a senior figure in the Communist Party of India (Marxist), or CPI(M).
Born in Tezpur, India, he grew up in Kolkata and was the son of Nirmal Chandra Chatterjee, a lawyer and member of the Hindu Mahasabha. Chatterjee studied at the University of Calcutta and in England, earning degrees from the University of Cambridge and Middle Temple in London.
Chatterjee joined the CPI(M) in 1968 and was elected to the Lok Sabha ten times between 1971 and 2009. As a parliamentarian, he was known for his speeches and received the Outstanding Parliamentarian Award in 1996. Chatterjee served as the speaker of the Lok Sabha from 2004 to 2009, during which he initiated live telecasts of parliamentary proceedings. He retired from politics in 2009 and died on August 13, 2018.
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What was Somnath Chatterjee known for in his career?
Somnath Chatterjee was an Indian lawyer, politician, and parliamentarian known for his long and impactful career in the Communist Party of India (Marxist), or CPI(M). He served ten terms in the Lok Sabha (the lower chamber of India's parliament) between 1971 and 2009, including serving as its speaker from 2004 to 2009.
Chatterjee was known for his eloquent speeches and was honoured with the Outstanding Parliamentarian Award in 1996. As speaker, he initiated live telecasts of the chamber's proceedings. Within the CPI(M), he led the party in the Lok Sabha from 1989 to 2004 and was a strong advocate for secular politics, opposing the pro-Hindu stances of the BJP.
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Which major political party was Somnath Chatterjee a part of?
Somnath Chatterjee was a senior figure in the Communist Party of India (Marxist), or CPI(M). He was a parliamentarian and served 10 terms in the Lok Sabha (the lower chamber of India's parliament) between 1971 and 2009. Chatterjee was the Speaker of the Lok Sabha from 2004 to 2009. Within the CPI(M), he served as the party's leader in the Lok Sabha from 1989 until he became speaker in 2004.
Chatterjee was known as an advocate for secular politics and opposed the pro-Hindu positions of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). In 2008, the CPI(M) expelled Chatterjee for refusing to resign from his post as speaker after the party withdrew its support from the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) coalition government.
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What important role did Somnath Chatterjee serve in the Indian Parliament?
Somnath Chatterjee served as a parliamentarian for 10 terms between 1971 and 2009 in the Lok Sabha, the lower chamber of India's parliament. In June 2004, he was unanimously elected as the speaker of the Lok Sabha. As speaker, Chatterjee worked to streamline the house's functioning and improve the conduct of its members. He initiated limited live telecasts of the chamber's proceedings, which later increased to 24-hour television coverage in July 2006. From 1989 until he became speaker in 2004, Chatterjee also served as the leader of the CPI(M) in the Lok Sabha.
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How did Somnath Chatterjee influence Indian politics?
Somnath Chatterjee, a senior figure in the Communist Party of India (Marxist), significantly influenced Indian politics through his parliamentary career. Serving ten terms in the Lok Sabha (1971-2009), he was known for his eloquence and advocacy for secular politics, often opposing the pro-Hindu stances of the BJP. As Speaker of the Lok Sabha from 2004, he improved the conduct of house members and initiated live telecasts of parliamentary proceedings. Despite his expulsion from the CPI(M) in 2008 for refusing to resign over a disagreement on a nuclear agreement, Chatterjee remained committed to his apolitical role as speaker, retiring from politics in 2009.
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Why is Somnath Chatterjee’s term as Speaker of the Lok Sabha considered significant?
Somnath Chatterjee's term as Speaker of the Lok Sabha from 2004 to 2009 is considered significant for his efforts to streamline the functioning of the house and improve the conduct of its members. During his tenure, he initiated limited live telecasts of the chamber's proceedings, which later expanded to 24-hour television coverage.
Chatterjee, a long-time senior official in the Communist Party of India (Marxist) or CPI(M), served 10 terms in the Lok Sabha between 1971 and 2009. In 1996, he was honored with the Outstanding Parliamentarian Award. As speaker, Chatterjee also took a firm stance, maintaining that the speaker’s post was apolitical.
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Somnath Chatterjee (born July 25, 1929, Tezpur, India—died August 13, 2018, Kolkata) was an Indian lawyer, politician, and parliamentarian, who was a longtime senior official in the Communist Party of India (Marxist), or CPI(M). He served 10 terms in the Lok Sabha (lower chamber of the Indian parliament) between 1971 and 2009, the last of which (2004–09) was as its speaker.
Chatterjee was born in what is now Assam state, northeastern India, but he grew up in Calcutta (now Kolkata). His father, Nirmal Chandra Chatterjee, was a lawyer, jurist, and parliamentarian who was a prominent member of the Hindu Mahasabha, the pro-Hindu ideological forerunner of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The younger Chatterjee attended the University of Calcutta, after which he continued his schooling in England, earning a master’s degree at the University of Cambridge and a law degree from Middle Temple (one of the Inns of Court) in London. Returning to India, he pursued a legal career that included work as a barrister at the Calcutta High Court and the Supreme Court of India.
Chatterjee joined the CPI(M) in 1968. He first ran for office in 1971, winning the seat in a Lok Sabha constituency in West Bengal state that had been held by his father. He continued to be reelected to the chamber from various constituencies in the state. Although he lost in the 1984 contest to Mamata Banerjee of the Indian National Congress (Congress Party), he won a by-election for a different seat the following year. He became a widely respected member of parliament, known for his many eloquent speeches, and was honoured with the Outstanding Parliamentarian Award in 1996. After he was unanimously elected as the speaker of the Lok Sabha in June 2004, Chatterjee attempted to streamline the functioning of the house and improve the conduct of its members. He soon inaugurated limited live telecasts of the chamber’s proceedings, which increased to 24-hour television coverage in July 2006.
Within the CPI(M) hierarchy, Chatterjee served as the leader of the party in the Lok Sabha from 1989 until he became speaker in 2004. He built a reputation as a prominent advocate for secular politics and was particularly opposed to the strong pro-Hindu positions often taken by the BJP. In mid-2008 Chatterjee refused to step down from office after the CPI(M) had withdrawn its support from the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) coalition government over the issue of a civilian nuclear agreement between India and the United States. He argued that the speaker’s post was apolitical and not tied to his party’s status vis-à-vis the government. Nonetheless, in July the CPI(M) expelled Chatterjee from the party, and the following month he announced that he would retire from politics, which he did in 2009, at the end of his tenure as speaker.
After his retirement, Chatterjee served for a time on the governing board of a women’s college in Shantiniketan (Bolpur), West Bengal, which he had helped found in 2004. His autobiography, Keeping the Faith: Memoirs of a Parliamentarian, was published in 2010.