HYDERABAD: Somnath Chatterjee was one of the brilliant leaders of the Communist movement, and an honest man who lived a simple life, said CPI General Secretary Suravaram Sudhakar Reddy.
Reddy said when he was a Lok Sabha member, he knew Chatterjee both as a leader of the opposition and as a speaker.
"He (Chatterjee) is one of the brilliant leaders of the Communist movement though his father was a founder of Hindu Mahasabha", he said paying homage to the ten-term Parliamentarian on behalf of the national council of the CPI.
"He became a Marxist and rationalist throughout his life and he was one of the best speakers, impartial speakers," Reddy said.
He recalled that when the BJP had boycotted Parliament session on some issue, Chatterjee who was Lok Sabha speaker at the time, asked "us" (the Left) to talk with the party.
"He (Chatterjee) said 'what is Parliament without opposition participation', and we all met (BJP Leader L K) Advaniji at that time and tried to solve the problem and requested the (then) prime minister to intervene," Reddy said.
"So, that's how he (Chatterjee) used to behave -- Opposition should play its role in Parliament. I remember him as one of the best speakers and an honest man who lived a very simple life", he added.
Chatterjee passed away today at a Kolkata hospital at the age of 89.