Somnath Chatterjee

Calcutta, July 31: Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee is likely to speak out by Saturday on his summary expulsion from the CPM, sources close to him said.

Chatterjee was scheduled to leave for Malaysia tomorrow to attend the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association conference. But he deferred his visit to Saturday, apparently, because of ill health.

“He has deferred his visit as he was unwell because of food poisoning. He will leave on August 2,’’ said Assembly Speaker Hashim Abdul Halim, who will also go to Malaysia.

Sources close to Chatterjee said the Speaker, who had planned to make his position clear after his return from Malaysia, changed his mind as the CPM leadership continued to justify his expulsion, accusing him of going back on his assurance to step down before the trust vote.

“It is not the Speaker but Prakash Karat who has been busy giving reasons for the expulsion. But his justification is untrue, based on a one-sided version of what transpired between the party and the Speaker. So he will reply to the party charges before he leaves,’’ a source said.

Chatterjee had said last Saturday that he would come out with his version “in a day or two”.

He told PDS leaders Saifuddin Choudhury and Samir Putatunda that Karat didn’t ask him to step down when the CPM general secretary met him on the morning of July 9 before meeting the President to inform her about the Left’s withdrawal of support.

Although the party later tried to persuade him to step down, Chatterjee told Choudhury that it was Bengal state secretary Biman Bose who first formally asked for his resignation on July 20.

Bose made it clear that the Speaker would face disciplinary action if he did not comply. Chatterjee also told the PDS leaders he did not budge as the Lok Sabha special session on the trust vote was due the next morning.

CPM MP Mohammed Salim said Chatterjee should take action against the MPs who defied their party whips during the confidence vote. Salim put the number at 16.

“The rule says that the Speaker must expel those who have crossed floor or abstained from voting defying party whip after he gets complaints from their party’s chief whips. We want the Speaker to take proper action,’’ Salim said.