Maintaining that contrary opinions should not be ignored, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Saturday said former Lok Sabha Speaker and expelled Communist Party of India - Marxist leader Somnath Chatterjee had "risen above his party and his ideology to do what he believes is right".
Releasing the book Keeping the Faith: Memoirs of a Parliamentarian authored by Chatterjee, Dr Singh said, "If we are to rise above natural orthodoxy of government functioning, then we should not shy away from a constructive debate of different points of view".
"If we are to think big and if we are to think boldly about the challenges and opportunities before us, we cannot do so by ignoring contrary opinions", he said.
Observing that Chatterjee's finest hour in his long and distinguished political career was as the Speaker of Lok Sabha, Dr Singh said the former Speaker had "risen above his party and his ideology to do what he believes is right".
Chatterjee, 81, had ignored the CPI-M diktat that he should quit as Speaker and vote against the United Progressive Alliance-I government during the confidence vote in the Lok Sabha in July 2008 on the Indo-United States civil nuclear deal issue.
Chatterjee, who has launched a vitriolic attack against CPI-M leader Prakash Karat in the book for the 'disastrous' policies that had led to the Left Front's debacle in 2009, thanked his parent party for having fielded him for 11 consecutive terms as a Lok Sabha candidate and termed it as 'a record'.
"Later, they found that I have become unsuitable. That was indeed a very sad day of my life," the former Speaker said, adding, "I never questioned that (his expulsion from CPI-M) and never appealed for a review (of the decision)".
Maintaining that the country has shown the capacity and resilience to overcome trials and tribulations, Dr Singh said, "We have withstood serious challenges on the economic and security front and even emerged stronger afterwards".
The prime minister said the country must have a way to resolve creative tensions in the development process and move ahead.
"One of the issues that faces the Indian polity is how to make the functioning of Parliament more effective and meaningful," said Dr Singh, who was flanked by Chatterjee and Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar at the function.
