New Delhi, March 29: Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee has clarified that he had made no reference to what the Rashtrapati Bhavan ought to have done in relation to a matter pertaining to his allegedly holding an office of profit before sending it to the Election Commission.

Any suggestion that he would have liked the President to verify the complaint before referring it to the Election Commission had come as a “shock” and was “deliberately concocted”, the Speaker’s office said.

Chatterjee was objecting to a report in this newspaper based on a statement by him on March 24. The Speaker’s statement had said: “I am not aware whether, if at all, any formal petition was submitted by the complainant before the respected Rashtrapatiji before the matter was referred to the Election Commission, as reported.”

Trinamul Congress leader Mamata Banerjee had submitted a list to the President of names of MPs who occupied offices of profit. The Lok Sabha Speaker was on this list.

The Speaker had said in his statement of March 24 that “he was not aware” that a “formal petition” had been submitted to the President. We regret the error.