Former Lok Sabha speaker Somnath Chatterjee, 89, dies

Kolkata: Former Lok Sabha speaker Somnath Chatterjee died here today following prolonged illness. He was 89.

He was admitted to the Belle Vue Clinic for treatment of kidney-related-ailments on Tuesday and was undergoing dialysis. He was on ventilator support since Sunday after his condition deteriorated following a heart attack.

Last month, the septuagenarian had suffered a haemorrhagic stroke.

"He has been under treatment for the past 40 days. Chatterjee was discharged from the hospital just for three days after his health showed signs of improvement. However, his condition deteriorated last Tuesday and he had to be hospitalised again," an official at the hospital had said Tuesday.

A 10-time Lok Sabha MP, Chatterjee was also a central committee member of the CPM, which he had joined in 1968.

He was the Speaker of the Lok Sabha from 2004 to 2009.

The veteran leader was expelled from the CPI(M) in 2008 for refusing to resign as the Speaker after his party withdrew support to the UPA-I government.