Police personnel pay tribute to former Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee during his funeral at the state Assembly in Kolkata. (Photo: Abhijit Mukherjee)

New Delhi: Leaders across party lines condoled the death of former Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee on Monday terming him as an “outstanding parliamentarian”.

“Sorry to hear of the passing of Shri Somnath Chatterjee, former Speaker of the Lok Sabha and a veteran parliamentarian who had a forceful presence in the House. A loss for public life in Bengal and India. My condolences to his family and innumerable well-wishers,” President Ram Nath Kovind said on Twitter.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said Chatterjee was a stalwart of Indian politics.

“He made our parliamentary democracy richer and was a strong voice for the well-being of the poor and vulnerable,” an “anguished” PM said, adding that his thoughts were with Chatterjee’s family and supporters. Former President Pranab Mukherjee said Chatterjee was “an outstanding parliamentarian & constitutionalist”. “He remained committed to the cause of people with a firm belief in pragmatic consensus. In his demise I have lost a personal friend & the Nation has lost a great son,” he tweeted. According to veteran BJP leader L.K. Advani, Chatterjee “was a man of committed ideals and was an inspiration for upcoming parliamentarians”.

Congress chief Rahul Gandhi said, “I mourn the death of Shri Somnath Chatterjee... He was an institution. Greatly respected and admired by all parliamentarians.” In a condolence message, former PM Manmohan Singh said, “In his death our country has lost a great leader who always stood for the cause of the poor and the downtrodden classes of society.”

 He was a very good orator, an exceptional public servant, and an outstanding member of Parliament, especially in the role of speaker of the Lok Sabha, which made him eligible for the ‘Outstanding Parliamentarian Award’.”

Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan said she “have learnt a lot from him”. “He was a big brother to me,” she added.

She further said Mr. Chatterjee’s tenure as the Lok Sabha speaker was a guide for her and he established that the speaker’s post was above politics by refusing to step down from his position. “Deeply mourn the passing away of Somnath da: our former Speaker of the Lok Sabha & 10 times-elected MP. Heartfelt condolences to his family....Somnath Chatterjee played an important role in defending the secular, democratic foundations of our Constitution,” CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury posted on Twitter