‘Left leadership is narcissistic

Lok Sabha speaker and ousted Left leader Somnath Chatterjee went hammer and tongs at the CPI(M), which expelled him after a 50-year-long innings in the party. Chatterjee said the “Left should reconsider its leadership”.

Chatterjee, who was expelled by the party after he refused to sign a petition withdrawing support to the UPA as he was the presiding officer of the Lok Sabha, called the Left leadership “narcissistic”.

He did not name CPI(M) general secretary Prakash Karat, but said, “I will not name anyone, I have called the leadership narcissistic. Look at where the Left front is now. This is the worst performance ever for the Left in over 32 years.”

Chatterjee's anger is justified as not only was he removed, but when the Bengal unit of the party made noises about a rapproachment, the Delhi politburo said the issue was so irrelevant that it was not even considered.