Somnath Chatterjee facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Somnath Chatterjee
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Chatterjee in February 2009
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| 14th Speaker of the Lok Sabha | |
| In office 4 August 2004 – 16 May 2009 |
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| President | |
| Prime Minister | Manmohan Singh |
| Deputy Speaker | Charanjit Singh Atwal |
| Leader of the House | Pranab Mukherjee |
| Preceded by | Manohar Joshi |
| Succeeded by | Meira Kumar |
| Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha | |
| In office 19 May 1985 – 16 May 2009 |
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| Preceded by | Saradish Roy |
| Succeeded by | Dr Ram Chandra Dome |
| Constituency | Bolpur, West Bengal |
| In office 28 April 1977 – 15 June 1984 |
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| Preceded by | Indrajit Gupta |
| Succeeded by | Mamata Banerjee |
| Constituency | Jadavpur, West Bengal |
| In office 18 May 1971 – 12 May 1977 |
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| Preceded by | Nirmal Chandra Chatterjee |
| Constituency | Bardhaman, West Bengal |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 25 July 1929 Tezpur, Assam, British India |
| Died | 13 August 2018 (aged 89) Kolkata, West Bengal, India |
| Political party | Independent (2008–2018) Communist Party of India (Marxist) (1968–2008) |
| Spouse |
Renu Chatterjee
(m. 1950) |
| Children | 3 |
| Parent |
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| Residence | Kolkata |
| Alma mater | Mitra Institution Bhowanipur Branch University of Calcutta (BA) University of Cambridge (MA) Middle Temple (Barrister-at-Law) |
| Profession | Lawyer |
| Signature |  |
| Website | Biography |
Somnath Chatterjee (born 25 July 1929 – died 13 August 2018) was an important Indian politician. He was a member of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) for most of his life. Later, he became an independent politician.
Mr. Chatterjee served as the Speaker of the Lok Sabha from 2004 to 2009. The Lok Sabha is like the House of Representatives in India, where elected members make laws.
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Early Life and Education
Somnath Chatterjee was born in Tezpur, Assam, in 1929. His father, Nirmal Chandra Chatterjee, was a well-known lawyer. His mother was Binapani Debi.
Somnath went to school at Mitra Institution and Presidency College in Kolkata. He then studied at the University of Calcutta.
He also studied law in England at Jesus College, Cambridge and the Middle Temple in London. He became a lawyer and worked at the Calcutta High Court before entering politics.
Political Journey
Somnath Chatterjee joined the Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI(M)) in 1968. He was elected as a Member of Parliament (MP) to the Lok Sabha for the first time in 1971. He represented the Burdwan (Lok Sabha constituency) area.
He was re-elected nine more times, which shows how much people trusted him. The only time he lost an election was in 1984 to Mamata Banerjee.
From 1989 to 2004, he was the leader of his party in the Lok Sabha. In 2004, he was elected for the tenth time from the Bolpur area. This area was known as a strong base for his party.
Becoming Speaker of the Lok Sabha
After the 2004 election, Somnath Chatterjee was chosen to be the Speaker of the Lok Sabha. This is a very important role. The Speaker is like the referee in the Lok Sabha, making sure debates are fair and rules are followed. He was chosen by everyone, which means he was very respected.
Leaving the CPI (M)
In 2008, his party, the CPI(M), decided to stop supporting the government. They asked all their MPs, including Somnath Chatterjee, to vote against the government.
However, as Speaker, Somnath Chatterjee felt he needed to be fair to everyone, not just his party. He decided to stay in his role as Speaker during a very important vote. He believed his duty as Speaker was more important than following party rules at that moment.
Because he did not follow the party's instructions, the CPI(M) removed him from the party. This was a very sad moment for him. He said it was "one of the saddest days" of his life.
He later suggested that future Speakers should leave their political parties. This would help them be completely fair and unbiased in their important role. After this, he decided to retire from politics in 2009.
Awards and Personal Life
Somnath Chatterjee received the Outstanding Parliamentarian Award in 1996. This award recognizes MPs who have done excellent work in Parliament. In 2013, he also received the Living Legend Award.
He married Renu Chatterjee in 1950. They had one son, Pratap, and two daughters, Anuradha and Anushila.
Mr. Chatterjee was known for being very honest with money. When he became Speaker, he stopped using government money for small things like toiletries and tea. When he traveled, he paid for his family members himself.
Death
Somnath Chatterjee passed away on 13 August 2018, in Kolkata. He had been unwell for some time. His family asked that party leaders not attend his funeral. They also did not want his body to be covered with the party flag.
