Chatterjee also found support from his predecessors Rabi Ray and P A Sangma as both of them were of the view that Speaker’s post in a non-partisan one and it should not be dragged into any political controversy. “I fervently appeal to the leadership of the CPM to allow him to continue as Speaker of the House of People,” Ray, Speaker of the ninth Lok Sabha between 1989 and 1991, told The Indian Express over phone from Bhubaneshwar. His views were echoed by P A Sangma, who said Chatterjee “need not resign because Speakers’ post is a non-partisan post.” “They (the CPI-M) should not have mentioned his name in the list even then he should not resign,” he added.

“Once you become a speaker you do not belong to any political party. Speakers name should not be dragged into any political controversy,” said Sangma, who was Speaker between 1996 and 1998, becoming the first member from the Opposition to hold the post.

However, Chatterjee’s immediate predecessor Manohar Joshi was of the view that he should resign if his party asks him to do so even though there is no Parliamentary rule in this regard. ‘The party only made him the Speaker with the help of other members of Parliament. So it is his duty to resign when ever the party asks him to do so. As a party man he should resign,” Joshi said.

To back his point, Joshi said when late BJP leader Pramod Mahajan asked him whether he was willing to contest for the post of Speaker in 2002, “I said yes, if Balasaheb (Thackeray) permits me. Whatever I have become is because of the party.”