Somnath Chatterjee’s expulsion

The Lok Sabha Speaker, Somnath Chatterjee, has received compliments from most of the Urdu papers following his expulsion from the CPM. The expulsion has been termed ‘Karat’s Authoritarianism’ by the Delhi-based Daily Milap (July 25). The paper writes: “The attitude of Prakash Karat with regard to the role of the Speaker is extremely shameful. He kept on saying from the beginning that the Speaker would take his own decision, but alongside, quietly, he kept on sending his messengers so that orders could be passed on to the Speaker. If Karat really wanted Somnath Chatterjee to take the decision himself, there was no sense in expelling him from the Party.”

Delhi-based Sahafat, in an editorial on July 24 writes that “if Somnath Chatterjee, in his capacity as Speaker of Lok Sabha, considers himself above party line, he cannot be faulted for this. Anyway, at least in this context, there has been a glorious history of Parliament and no Speaker has ever been accused of acting under the influence of his party.” Delhi-based Jadeed Khabar, in a different vein, writes: “Legally, there is no problem in Chatterjee remaining in the Speaker’s chair. But, morally, he may have to face the question as to how can he hold his post that he achieved as the representative of the party that has expelled him.”

Who won, who lost?

Sarkar jeet gaee, democracy haar gaee (the government won, but democracy lost), was the title of an angry editorial on the vote of confidence in the Lok Sabha, in Hind Samachar (July 23). The editorial says, “accusations and counter-accusations were being hurled all over. But this episode (wads of currency notes being shown) was seen by the entire world, and our democracy was stripped before the world.” The paper has also pleaded for a provision for life ban on elections for opportunist politicians like these rebels. ‘Kis ki jeet, kaisi jeet?’ (whose victory, what type of victory?) was the title of the editorial in Sahafat (July 25). The paper writes: “Obviously rebellion at such a big scale would not have been for free...The vote has brought up the worrisome reality that there does not appear a way to stop the efforts of the Central Government from acting for the interests of the US.. In the post-confidence vote scenario, Jamaat-e-Islami’s organ, Daawat (July 28) writes that following the “success” of the vote of confidence, conditions have changed in the country. It wonders where the “culture of make-and-break politics” in taking the country.

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