‘Greatest LS Speaker’: Ministers Mourn Somnath Chatterjee’s Death

Politicians took to Twitter to condole the death of veteran parliamentarian Somnath Chatterjee on Monday.

Veteran politician and former Lok Sabha speaker, Somnath Chatterjee, passed away on Monday, 13 August.

Ten-time Lok Sabha member and Communist Party of India (Marxist) veteran was put on ventilator support and was undergoing dialysis at a Kolkata hospital, after his health declined on 10 August.

As soon as his death was announced, tweets poured in, offering condolences to Chatterjee’s family. Many acknowledged Chatterjee’s long contribution to Indian politics and regarded him as one of the ‘greatest’ Lok Sabha Speakers.

Somnath Chatterjee was 89 years old at the time of death. He died at 8:15 am, IANS reported.

PM Modi & Rahul Gandhi Mourns Chatterjee’s Death

Prime Minister Narendra Modi called the late parliamentarian ‘a strong voice’ of the poor and vulnerable. Congress President Rahul Gandhi offered condolences to his family and regarded him as an ‘institution’.

Former MP and Speaker Shri Somnath Chatterjee was a stalwart of Indian politics. He made our Parliamentary democracy richer and was a strong voice for the well-being of the poor and vulnerable. Anguished by his demise. My thoughts are with his family and supporters.

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) August 13, 2018

I mourn the passing away of Shri Somnath Chatterjee, 10 term MP and former Speaker of the Lok Sabha. He was an institution. Greatly respected and admired by all parliamentarians, across party lines. My condolences to his family at this time of grief. #SomnathChatterjee

— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) August 13, 2018

‘Will Be Remembered as Greatest Lok Sabha Speaker’

Sorry to hear of the passing of Shri Somnath Chatterjee, former Speaker of the Lok Sabha and a veteran parliamentarian who had a forceful presence in the House. A loss for public life in Bengal and India. My condolences to his family and innumerable well-wishers #PresidentKovind

— President of India (@rashtrapatibhvn) August 13, 2018

Saddened by the demise of former Lok Sabha Speaker, Shri Somnath Chatterjee. He was an outstanding Parliamentarian, who was elected to Lok Sabha 10 times. He was always affable and highlighted people’s problems. He firmly stood by the principles he believed in. #Parliament pic.twitter.com/0YLXQByrPH

— VicePresidentOfIndia (@VPSecretariat) August 13, 2018

Extremely sad news about Somnath Chatterjee ji. One of the greatest parliamentarians of contemporary times he will always be missed by this country. He will be remembered among the greatest Lok Sabha Speakers India ever had. https://t.co/dpnsE9ME1a

— Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) August 13, 2018

Deeply saddened to learn of the demise of former Lok Sabha Speaker and senior leader, Shri Somnath Chatterjee. An erudite & seasoned parliamentarian, Somnathda was known for value based politics. He rose above partisan politics on several occasions. My condolences to his family.

— Rajnath Singh (@rajnathsingh) August 13, 2018

Indian political landscape would miss the principled, uncompromising & inspiring Communist leader #SomnathChatterjee. He would always be remembered for his non-partisan role as Lok Sabha Speaker. My condolences to his family & scores of followers across the country & abroad. pic.twitter.com/fqHZShUnwZ

— Dr. Harsh Vardhan (@drharshvardhan) August 13, 2018

Saddened by the demise of veteran parliamentarian & former speaker #SomnathChatterjee. He was respected across party lines and his contribution enriched Indian polity.

Thoughts and prayers with his family.

— Rajyavardhan Rathore (@Ra_THORe) August 13, 2018

I am deeply saddened by the demise of former Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee Ji, a distinguished Parliamentarian and veteran politician. His demise is an irreparable loss to the country. My condolences to his family members and well-wishers.

— Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi (@naqvimukhtar) August 13, 2018

‘Principled & Longest Serving Parliamentarian’

Former chief ministers of various states of the country and party leaders also expressed their grief after the news broke out. A hashtag #SomnathChatterjee became trending and was used in their tweets.

Deeply saddened by the passing away of former LokSabha Speaker Shri #SomnathChatterjee. My heartfelt condolences to his family members, may god give them strength to bear this loss... May his soul rest in peace.

— Ashok Gehlot (@ashokgehlot51) August 13, 2018

Saddened to hear about the demise of former #Loksabha speaker and One of the longest-serving parliamentarians Somnath Chatterjee ji. May his soul rest in peace. My heartfelt condolences to the family. pic.twitter.com/orh3TqjMxq

— Praful Patel (@praful_patel) August 13, 2018

Rest in peace now Somnath da. It was an honour to have known you & to have learnt from you. The Lok Sabha was much the poorer by your absence in recent years. India has lost a parliamentary giant today. #SomnathChatterjee

— Omar Abdullah (@OmarAbdullah) August 13, 2018

Deeply saddened by the demise of Sh. Somnath Chatterjee ji. A principled Parliamentarian, he will always be remembered for his devotion to public service, especially as a non-partisan LS Speaker. We pray for strength to his family in this hour of grief. May his soul rest in peace

— Jyotiraditya Scindia (@JM_Scindia) August 13, 2018

Deeply saddened by the demise of former Lok Sabha Speaker and a veteran parliamentarian, Shri Somnath Chatterjee ji. My condolences to his family & friends. pic.twitter.com/yctaunSUUu

— Manoj Sinha (@manojsinhabjp) August 13, 2018