Why have you come now?: At Somnath Chatterjee's funeral, family rebuffs CPM leaders
After the death of veteran politician and former Lok Sabha chairman Somnath Chatterjee, his family members said they had refused CPI(M) party’s proposal of wrapping his mortal body with the red party flag because Chatterjee had been greatly hurt after his expulsion from the party in 2008.
“We had been asked by party leaders to wrap his body with the party flag but we refused. We can still not come to terms with the party’s decision to expel him in 2008. He had been so dedicated to the party and after his expulsion I have seen tears running down his cheeks,” his daughter Anushila Basu said.
Family members also said that they did not want the body to be carried to CPI(M) party headquarter at Alimuddin Street. His body was taken out of Belle Vue hospital wrapped in the flag of Mohun Bagan Athletic Club and was taken to the Calcutta High Court and then to the state Assembly where he was given gun salute and finally to his Raja Basanta Roy Road residence in south Kolkata.
When Left Front chairman Biman Bose arrived at his residence to pay homage, Chatterjee’s son Pratap Chatterjee asked him to leave, saying, “Why have you come? You have only extracted from him all his life.”
Later Bose again tried to come with national CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury, Pratap said, “Why have you come again? You are not wanted.”
Later, talking to reporters, Biman Bose said that, ‘I don't mind his behaviour. He is completely broken by the loss of his father. He was actually not liked by his father also.’
A press statement issued by the party politburo grieving his death was caught into controversy because nowhere in the statement was it mentioned about his contribution to the party.
“We never wanted to force the family to drape his body with a party flag. We left it to the family,” said CPI(M) state general secretary Surjyakanta Mishra.
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 "Somnath Chatterjee funeral PTI")
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