Thiruvananthapuram, Aug 13 (IANS): Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said on Monday that former Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee died at a time when parliamentary democracy and Constitutional values in the country are under "stress".

The country had lost a parliamentarian who always fought for the rights of the people by using the floor of Parliament very effectively. He was instrumental in exposing the Bofors scam and was a role model parliamentarian, said Vijayan in his condolences.

Former Chief Minister and veteran CPI-M leader V.S. Achuthanandan said: "Till his last, he stood very firmly for values. That was all the more evident when he was the Speaker of the Lok Sabha. A huge loss for the CPI-M."

Leader of Opposition Ramesh Chennithala said he was fortunate to sit beside Chatterjee in the Lok Sabha a few times and learned several things from the Communist veteran.

"He was a practical politician... He was one of the best speakers the country has had," he said.