Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi were present at the launch of former Speaker and expelled CPI(M) leader Somnath Chatterjee’s book Keeping the Faith: Memoirs of a Parliamentarian in New Delhi on Saturday. The CPI(M) bandwagon, Mr Sitaram Yechury and chief minister West Bengal Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, who were invited, stayed away from the function.
In his book, Mr Chatterjee targeted CPI(M) general secretary Prakash Karat and stated that his “disastrous” policies and “misguided” actions were responsible for the debacle of the Left party in the 2009 General Elections. Speaking at the occasion, the Prime Minister said that the one must not ignore or shy away from contrary opinions and hold a constructive debate on different view points. In the book, Mr Chatterjee praised the veteran Marxist leader, late Jyoti Basu.
He said the country must have a way to resolve creative tensions in the development process and move ahead. The Prime Minister’s conciliatory remarks come against the backdrop of differences among political parties over various issues, including the civil nuclear liability bill.
“The nation had overcome serious challenges due to our vigorous functioning democracy and solutions to these problems are not beyond the creativity and imagination of our people,” Dr Singh said.
Dr Singh, who released the book, praised Mr Chatterjee as a man of “extraordinary talent and integrity” and one “who has risen above his party and his ideology to do what he believes is right.”