Somnath asked to clarify remark

New Delhi

Sept. 1: A blame game has begun within the Left parties over the cash-for-vote scam. A day after former Lok Sabha Speaker, Mr Somnath Chatterjee, told this newspaper that there were rumours that the “Left” knew something was going to happen to disrupt the trust-vote motion in Parliament on July 22, 2008, CPI(M) allies demanded that Mr Chatterjee should categorically mention the name of the particular party within the Left.
“He (Mr Chatterjee) is a very responsible person. If he is saying something, he must be categorical about it,” the CPI national secretary, Mr D. Raja said.
He wanted the former Speaker to identify the particular party within the Left which he believes was aware of the Opposition BJP’s attempt to disrupt the trust-vote proceedings. “The Left comprises of four different parties,” he said. Mr Raja claimed that the “CPI was unaware of it”.
Echoing a similar view, the RSP leader, Ms Abani Roy, said, “I do not think it was known to the Left parties as a whole. If he is mentioning a particular someone, he must give the name.” Mr Roy has submitted his resignation to the RSP and is awaiting the decision of his party.
Mr Raja said that the former Lok Sabha Speaker is not holding any constitutional post now and “must clarify what he meant by the Left”. To a news channel, Mr Raja said, “A person of his stature must disclose what he heard and should be categorical about it.”