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NEW DELHI: Breaking his silence, Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee on Friday ruled out quitting and hit out at CPI-M for demanding his resignation saying it cannot give any direction to him in his Constitutional office.

"I have consciously taken the principled decision to uphold the Constitution of India at the risk of being unjustifiably dubbed as anti-party," he said in a five-page statement making it clear he would continue to "fulfil my obligations and responsibilit ies as the Speaker during my tenure".

Calling July 23, the day of his expulsion from CPI-M, as "one of the saddest days of his life", Mr Chatterjee said it was a 'canard' to allege that his continuance in the post was to help any party or parties or 'on some other personal considerations'.

"I strongly and categorically deny these wholly baseless allegations," he said in the statement which also traces the events ever since the Left parties decided to withdraw support to the UPA government and sections within the party asking him to resign. - PTI

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