Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan breaks down while remembering 'elder brother' Somnath Chatterjee

NEW DELHI: Lok Sabha speaker Sumitra Mahajan broke down while remembering veteran politician Somnath Chatterjee who died on Monday. Mahajan said that Chatterjee was 'like an elder brother' to her. 

Chatterjee, who served as the Lok Sabha speaker from 2004 to 2009 passed away on Monday morning after suffering a cardiac arrest. Somnath had been admitted to a hospital in Kolkata owing to a kidney-related ailment last week. He was undergoing dialysis and was admitted to the ICCU. 

#WATCH: Lok Sabha speaker Sumitra Mahajan tears up while talking about #SomnathChatterjee who passed away this morning; says, 'he was like an elder brother to me' pic.twitter.com/ff1EXtdUXI — ANI (@ANI) August 13, 2018

Somnath had suffered a hemorrhagic stroke last month and had been undergoing treatment for over the last 40 days. He was discharged from the hospital for just three days after his health showed signs of improvement. However, he had to be admitted again following a decline in his health.

Apart from Mahajan, several politicians also paid tributes to the stalwart.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi recalled his contributions saying: "He made our Parliamentary democracy richer and was a strong voice for the well-being of the poor and vulnerable."

Congress president Rahul Gandhi said Chatterjee was an institution and greatly respected and admired by all parliamentarians, across party lines.

BJP chief Amit Shah said Chatterjee was an excellent parliamentarian. His long years as a member of the House enriched parliamentary traditions, he added.

"He was a remarkable human being, an eminent parliamentarian and a very clear headed speaker of the Lok Sabha. I convey my heartfelt condolences to the bereaved family," said former vice president M Hamid Ansari.