Somnath Chatterjee turns 79, to continue as Speaker

According to several senior communist party leaders, Chatterjee's expulsion was unfortunate but necessary.

CPI(M) West Bengal state secretary and Politburo member Biman Bose, who had urged Chatterjee to quit before the trust vote said he had "seriously compromised" the party's position and "violated party discipline."

"He (Chatterjee) may abide by the country's Constitution but the party has its own Constitution with which he has to abide. We have to abide by party rules. He did not relinquish the Speaker's post despite the party's directive. He had breached party discipline. The party will sever all connections with those who do not follow party diktats," he said.

Bose also said that the party had information that Chatterjee would step down a day after the trust vote in the Lok Sabha, "but he has not done so."

"When he (Chatterjee) refused to accept the party's advice to resign, it was left with no other option but to expel him. No individual is above the party," Bose said.

CPI(M) Kerala state secretary and politburo member Pinarayi Vijayan was harsher in his criticism, saying Chatterjee was "a traitor to the party" and "as a communist holding a high office, he cheated the party."