This Article is From Nov 30, 2009

Somnath's sermon on political parties

Kolkata: "A political party should not resort to violence if people do not vote for it" , said Somnath Chatterjee in a veiled criticism of the CPM from which he has been expelled.

"People can bring a political party into power or throw it out of power after some time through ballots. But why should there be political vendetta endangering the lives of ordinary people?" Chatterjee asked, in an apparent reference to the clashes across the state since the Lok Sabha elections.  

Chatterjee, who had been invited to the launch of the Jana Chetana Manch, promoted by another former CPM leader, Saifuddin Chowdhury, skipped the event citing "personal reasons" but sent a CD where he spoke about the "political vendetta".  

"People can do politics according to their choice. But for this, why should there be violence and clashes?" he asked.

The party expelled Chatterjee last year after he refused quit his Lok Sabha Speaker's post following the CPM's withdrawal of support to the Congress-led central government over the Indo-US nuclear deal.
 
.