Sitaram Yechury, General Secretary of CPI(M), died at AIIMS, New Delhi, after a prolonged illness. The 72-year-old leader was being treated for an acute respiratory tract infection in the ICU.
Coimbatore: Veteran Communist Party of India (Marxist) leader and General Secretary Sitaram Yechury passed away at the age of 72 after a prolonged illness. The CPI(M) announced his demise in a post on X, saying, "Our beloved comrade Sitaram Yechury, General Secretary of CPI(M), passed away at AIIMS today. Red Salute to Comrade Sitaram Yechury!"
Yechury had been in a critical condition at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in New Delhi, receiving respiratory support in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) for an acute respiratory tract infection.
Born on August 12, 1952, in Chennai, Sitaram Yechury was a prominent figure in Indian politics. He had been serving as the General Secretary of the CPI(M) since 2015. Yechury's political journey began during his college days in Hyderabad and Delhi, where he actively participated in student movements, particularly at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU). He emerged as a key figure in the Students' Federation of India (SFI) and solidified his reputation as a staunch advocate for civil liberties and left-wing ideologies during the Emergency (1975-77).
Yechury served as a Rajya Sabha MP for 12 years, from 2005 to 2017. He assumed the role of the fifth general secretary of the CPI(M) at the 21st party congress in Visakhapatnam on April 19, 2015, succeeding Prakash Karat. He also played a significant role in the joint opposition's INDIA bloc and was considered one of the political mentors of Congress leader and Lok Sabha leader of opposition Rahul Gandhi.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi expressed his grief over the loss, describing Yechury as a friend and "a protector of the Idea of India with a deep understanding of our country." Senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh also mourned Yechury's passing, praising him as "a very fine human being, a multilingual bibliophile, an unrepentant Marxist with a pragmatic streak, a pillar of the CPM, and a superb Parliamentarian with a wonderful wit and sense of humour."
Yechury's demise marks the end of an era in Indian left-wing politics, leaving behind a legacy of unwavering commitment to his ideologies and significant contributions to the nation's political landscape.
Yechury had been in a critical condition at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in New Delhi, receiving respiratory support in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) for an acute respiratory tract infection.
Born on August 12, 1952, in Chennai, Sitaram Yechury was a prominent figure in Indian politics. He had been serving as the General Secretary of the CPI(M) since 2015. Yechury's political journey began during his college days in Hyderabad and Delhi, where he actively participated in student movements, particularly at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU). He emerged as a key figure in the Students' Federation of India (SFI) and solidified his reputation as a staunch advocate for civil liberties and left-wing ideologies during the Emergency (1975-77).
Yechury served as a Rajya Sabha MP for 12 years, from 2005 to 2017. He assumed the role of the fifth general secretary of the CPI(M) at the 21st party congress in Visakhapatnam on April 19, 2015, succeeding Prakash Karat. He also played a significant role in the joint opposition's INDIA bloc and was considered one of the political mentors of Congress leader and Lok Sabha leader of opposition Rahul Gandhi.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi expressed his grief over the loss, describing Yechury as a friend and "a protector of the Idea of India with a deep understanding of our country." Senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh also mourned Yechury's passing, praising him as "a very fine human being, a multilingual bibliophile, an unrepentant Marxist with a pragmatic streak, a pillar of the CPM, and a superb Parliamentarian with a wonderful wit and sense of humour."
Yechury's demise marks the end of an era in Indian left-wing politics, leaving behind a legacy of unwavering commitment to his ideologies and significant contributions to the nation's political landscape.