CPI(M) veteran Sitaram Yechury passes away at 72 after prolonged illness

Veteran Communist leader and CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury died following prolonged illness on Thursday afternoon. He was 72.

Yechury was admitted to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS)-Delhi on August 19 with acute pneumonia-like respiratory tract infection. He had been in a critical condition for the last few days and was on oxygen support. 

According to reports, he also had a fungal infection in his lungs.

On August 22, Yechury had released a six-minute video from the hospital on his social media accounts paying condolence to Buddhadev Bhattacharya, former chief minister of West Bengal, who passed away on August 8. 

On September 10, the CPI(M) released a statement, saying Yechury’s health had turned critical.

The late leader will be lying in repose at the CPI(M) headquarters in Delhi on September 14 and the public can pay homage between 11 am and 3 pm, the party said.

The mortal remains will be later taken to the AIIMS, where it will be donated for medical research as per his wishes.

Yechury began his political career as a member of the Students' Federation of India (SFI) at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) in Delhi.

He became a member of the Central Committee of the CPI(M) in 1984, and got elected to the Politburo in 1992.

He took over as the general secretary of the CPI(M) at the 21st party congress in Visakhapatnam on April 19, 2015, succeeding Prakash Karat.

Yechury also played crucial role in the formation of the opposition INDIA bloc which showed an impressive performance in the recent Lok Sabha elections, reducing the BJP to 240, far below the majority mark.

Condolences pour in

Leader of the Opposition and senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi condoled the demise of Yechury and said he was a protector of the idea of India with a deep understanding of the country.

"Sitaram Yechury ji was a friend. A protector of the Idea of India with a deep understanding of our country. I will miss the long discussions we used to have. My sincere condolences to his family, friends, and followers in this hour of grief," Gandhi wrote on X.

Expressing grief over the CPI(M) leader’s death, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee called it a loss to Indian politics. 

"Sad to know that Sri Sitaram Yechury has passed away. I knew the veteran parliamentarian that he was and his demise will be a loss for national politics. I express my condolences to his family, friends and colleagues," Banerjee posted on X.