Cong wants Somnath to continue as Speaker

NEW DELHI: Congress on Wednesday hinted that it would like Somnath Chatterjee to continue as the Speaker of Lok Sabha even after his expulsion from the CPI-M.

"He does not belong to any party as he lost his party affiliation after being elected as a Speaker. There is no question of a new Speaker," said Congress Spokesperson Jayanti Natarajan.

She said Chatterjee was elected as a Speaker not by the Congress but by the UPA, and was supported by the entire House.

Replying to a volley of questions on the expulsion of the Speaker from his party, Natarajan said it was internal matter of the party and she has no comments on it. "This has no bearing on his continuation," she said.

Natarajan complimented Chatterjee for being an excellent Speaker in the last over four years. "He has been an exceptionally good Speaker," she said.