Somnath Chatterjee passes away, PM and political leaders condole his death

Former Loksabha speaker, Somnath Chatterjee. Photo: AFP

Former Lok Sabha speaker Somnath Chatterjee died today morning in Kolkata days after he was admitted to a private hospital with a kidney ailment. He was 89 years old. Mr Chatterjee, who was admitted in Bellevue Clinic in Kolkata on August 7, was put on ventilator support after he suffered a heart attack.

"He died at 8.15 a.m.," according to Bellevue Clinic official

Chatterjee was critical following the heart attack he suffered on Sunday. He was also suffering from a kidney-related ailment and was admitted to the clinic in a critical condition on August 7.

A 12-member team of doctors was keeping a constant watch on the veteran politician, the official said.

President of the Congress party Rahul Gandhi tweeted following the demise of the veteran political leader Somnath Chatterjee

Last month, the former speaker had suffered a haemorrhagic stroke.

A 10-time Lok Sabha MP, Chatterjee was a central committee member of the CPI(M), which he had joined in 1968. He was the Speaker of the Lok Sabha from 2004 to 2009.

The veteran leader was expelled from the CPI(M) in 2008 for refusing to resign as the Speaker after his party withdrew support to the UPA-I government.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi Gandhi tweeted that Shri Somnath Chatterjee was a stalwart of Indian politics who made our Parliamentary democracy richer

"He was an institution. Greatly respected and admired by all parliamentarians, across party lines. My condolences to his family at this time of grief," President of the Congress party Rahul Gandhi tweeted

Delhi Chief Minister and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convenor Arvind Kejriwal remembered him as "one of the greatest Lok Sabha Speakers India ever had."