Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee, who was expelled from the CPI(M) two days ago for defying a party directive to quit the post, turned 80 today.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh sent one of his officials to the 20, Akbar Road residence of the Speaker this morning to convey his birthday wishes to Chatterjee.

Chatterjee was in the news recently after he took on the CPI(M) leadership by defying the party directive to quit the post after the Left parties withdrew support to the United Progressive Alliance.

He was one of those in the party who had supported CPI(M) patriarch Jyoti Basu's candidature for prime ministership in 1996, a move that was shot down by hardliners in the party culminating in the "historic blunder".