Best known as the Speaker of the Lok Sabha from 2004 to 2008, Somnath Chatterjee has had a distinguished career, carving a niche for himself as an eloquent speaker and an effective legislator. He has contributed richly to the deliberations of the Lok Sabha since 1971 by participating in the debates on important issues, including the importance of parliamentary democracy in India. A champion of the causes of the working classes and deprived people, he effectively articulated their issues in the highest centres of power. His debating skills, clear understanding of national and international issues, command over the language and the wit and humour with which he presented his viewpoints ensure that he was heard with rapt attention. His speeches reveal a lawyer s mastery over the rules and regulations governing the conduct of businesses, institutions and governments.

The Collected Speeches of Somnath Chatterjee brings together his most powerful speeches during his tenure as the Speaker of the Lok Sabha, from 2004 to 2008. Arranged thematically to cover both his stirring pleas for parliamentary democracy and political reform, and his incisive analyses of the economy and India s role in the world, it is a necessary adjunct to any student of India s democracy.