Former Lok Sabha speaker Somnath Chatterjee critical

New Delhi, Aug 12: Former Lok Sabha speaker Somnath Chatterjee's medical condition has deteriorated and he has turned critical.

According to the sources, He is currently on ventilator support. Chatterjee was re-admitted to a hospital in Kolkata on August 10 following kidney ailments.

The condition of former Lok Sabha speaker had declined after he had suffered a haemorrhagic stroke in June.

Chatterjee, 89, was earlier admitted to a hospital following complaints of breathlessness. He was discharged a few days later after improvements were seen in his health.

Chatterjee is regarded as one of the longest-serving parliamentarians in India. He was a member of the Lok Sabha from 2004 to 2009, except in the 1984 election when he was defeated by West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.

A former CPM leader and a 10-time Lok Sabha MP, Chatterjee was the Speaker of the Lower House during the UPA-I rule from 2004 to 2009. He was expelled from Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPM) in 2008 for not resigning as the Speaker after the party withdrew support from the UPA government over the Indo-US nuclear deal.