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Veteran Left leader Sitaram Yechury, the General Secretary of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPM), has passed away at the age of 72. Yechury, who had been battling a severe respiratory illness, succumbed to pneumonia this afternoon at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Delhi. He had been admitted to the emergency ward on August 19 and was later moved to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU), where he breathed his last at 3:05 pm today.
Veteran Left leader Sitaram Yechury, the General Secretary of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPM), has passed away at the age of 72. Yechury, who had been battling a severe respiratory illness, succumbed to pneumonia this afternoon at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Delhi. He had been admitted to the emergency ward on August 19 and was later moved to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU), where he breathed his last at 3:05 pm today.
In accordance with his family’s wishes, Yechury’s body has been donated to AIIMS for teaching and research purposes. It will remain at the institute for the next two days, after which it will be taken to AKG Bhavan, the CPM headquarters, to allow his admirers and party comrades to pay their respects. Following this, the body will return to AIIMS.
Yechury is survived by his wife, Seema Chishti, a senior journalist, and his children Akhila and Daanish. His 34-year-old son, Ashish Yechury, tragically passed away from COVID-19 in 2021.
A prominent figure in Indian politics, Yechury was a key member of CPM’s Politburo for over three decades. He served as a Rajya Sabha MP from 2005 to 2017 and was known for his significant role in shaping Indian political discourse. An alumnus of Delhi’s St. Stephen’s College and Jawaharlal Nehru University, Yechury began his political journey with the Students’ Federation of India and joined CPM in 1975. His political career was marked by his arrest during the Emergency imposed by Indira Gandhi’s government, during which he was pursuing a doctorate in Economics. His academic pursuit was left unfinished as he became a key player in national politics.
Yechury’s leadership was instrumental in various capacities, including his role in drafting the Common Minimum Programme for the United Front government in 1996 and in forming the coalition government for the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) in 2004. He was also a pivotal figure in the recent formation of the INDIA bloc, a coalition of opposition parties.
The news of his passing has elicited tributes from across the political spectrum. Rahul Gandhi, Congress MP and Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, remembered Yechury as a “friend” and a “protector of the Idea of India.” He praised Yechury’s profound understanding of the nation and expressed his sorrow over the loss. Union Minister Nitin Gadkari also conveyed his condolences, highlighting Yechury’s enduring contributions to public life and extending his heartfelt sympathies to Yechury’s family and loved ones.
Yechury’s death marks the end of an era for Indian politics, and his legacy as a dedicated leader and influential figure will be remembered by many.