Somnath Chatterjee no more: 10 things to know about former Lok Sabha Speaker and 10-time MP

Former Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee breathed his last on Monday morning after suffering a cardiac arrest. Somnath had been admitted to a hospital in Kolkata owing to a kidney-related ailment last week. He was undergoing dialysis and was admitted to the ICCU. 

Somnath had suffered a hemorrhagic stroke last month and had been undergoing treatment for over the last 40 days. He was discharged from the hospital for just three days after his health showed signs of improvement. However, he had to be admitted again following a decline in his health.

Here are 10 things you must know about Somnath Chatterjee:

- Born on July 25, 1929 in Tezpur in Assam, Somnath was an advocate by profession. He joined politics in 1968. 
- He became a Member of the Lok Sabha in 1971. He was elected for the first time as an independent candidate supported by the CPI(M). He went on to become a central committee member of the party. 
- He was a 10-time Lok Sabha MP
- He was the Speaker of the Lok Sabha from 2004 to 2009.
- He 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. 
- He had described the expulsion from the party as 'one of the saddest days' of his life. In an interview, the veteran speaker had said that he had at least expected that he would be asked the reason why he went against the party line. Rather he was expelled without being given a chance to give an explanation.
- The famed barrister-cum-orator authored several publications. He contributed a chapter on Emergency and Parliament in 25 years of Parliament. Over the years, he wrote articles in leading journals, publications including Lok Sabha publications.
- He was caught in a row in 2005 when he was the Speaker after he said that the Supreme Court was encroaching on the right of the legislature by issuing orders on the proceedings of the Jharkhand Assembly during a vote of confidence. His remark came under severe criticism.
- He retired from active politics in 2009
- He is survived by his wife Renu Chatterjee, son Pratap and two daughters, Anuradha and Anushila.