Sitaram Yechury represented West Bengal in the Rajya Sabha from 2005 to 2017. He spoke Bengali and loved interacting with politicians and people from the State. File.
| Photo Credit: PTI

Communist Party of India (Marxist) general secretary Sitaram Yechury, who passed away in Delhi on Tuesday left an indelible mark in West Bengal politics by bringing two politically divergent forces the Left parties and the Congress together, on one platform, to fight the Bharatiya Janata Party and Trinamool Congress.

The 2016 Assembly polls in West Bengal witnessed an electoral understanding between the CPI(M) led Left Front and Congress against the Trinamool Congress government. Sitaram Yechury, who was general secretary of the party then, was instrumental in bringing both parties together.

While the alliance failed to topple the Trinamool Congress government, it changed Left politics in West Bengal forever, as the CPI(M) emerged as a more practical and accommodating political force, setting aside decades of political animosity with the Congress.

Enduring alliance

A couple of years later, in 2018, the CPI(M) general secretary faced stiff opposition from his party’s central committee, rejecting his proposal for an alliance with Congress. Despite the opposition, the West Bengal unit of the party supported Sitaram Yechury, and the electoral understanding with Congress has continued till today, and both parties fought the 2024 Lok Sabha polls together.

“Sitaram’s contribution is that one can only break the binary of the BJP and Trinamool Congress by using the left alternative. It can be done by uniting all left and democratic forces, including the Congress,” CPI(M) West Bengal State Secretary Md. Salim said.

Mr. Salim added that Sitaram Yechury’s favourite line was that the Left in India cannot survive without the revival of the CPI(M) in West Bengal.

Veteran Congress leader Pradip Bhattacharya said that with Sitaram Yechury at the helm, the Congress realised that it could work with the CPI(M) leadership. Mr. Bhattacharya, who has represented West Bengal in the Upper House, added that there have always been two views in the Congress party whether the party should go with the Trinamool Congress or with the CPI(M) and it was because of Mr. Yechury that an alliance between the Congress and CPI(M) was formed.

Sitaram Yechury represented West Bengal in the Rajya Sabha from 2005 to 2017. He spoke Bengali and loved interacting with politicians and people from the State.

During his media interactions in West Bengal, the CPI(M) general secretary would refer to the “competitive communalism” of both the Trinamool Congress and BJP in promoting religious events like Ram Navami and Hanuman Jayanti, often resulting in communal tensions.

Steadfast optimism

Despite failing to register much electoral success, the CPI(M) general secretary, speaking at a press conference in June 2024, expressed the hope that the CPI(M) would break the Trinamool-BJP binary in West Bengal by continuing to fight for the people’s rights and livelihood.

Reflecting on the CPI(M)’s electoral performance in the recently concluded Lok Sabha polls, Mr. Yechury was hopeful that a new party leadership was emerging in the State.

“In Bengal, our party campaigned very well, irrespective of what the results were. Owing to our young leaders, a new kind of party is being formed in Bengal, which will benefit both the State as well as the country,” he had said at WB CPI(M) headquarters.

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Family, friends and comrades bid final adieu to Sitaram Yechury

Family, friends, admirers, and comrades bid a final adieu to Sitaram Yechury, the Communist Party of India (Marxist) general secretary on Saturday, as his mortal remains were brought to the party headquarters for people from all walks of life to pay their last respects. At 3:30 p.m., he left the party office for one last time, with a winding trail of mourners following in the wake of the funeral cortege, holding his photographs and raising slogans. 

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New Delhi:

Polyglot, amiable and an eclectic conversationalist who could hold forth on film songs as much as politics, CPI-M’s fifth general secretary Sitaram Yechury was the pragmatic leader with friends across the political spectrum. The three-time party chief, who passed away on Thursday after prolonged illness at Delhi’s All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), took over the reins of the party when Left fortunes were on the decline. He was 72.

Quite unlike his predecessor Prakash Karat, from whom he took over in April 2015 and who was known for hardline positions, Mr Yechury thrived on the challenges of coalition politics. In this way, he was more akin to his mentor, the late party leader Harkishan Singh Surjeet.

While Surjeet was a key player in the coalition era during the National Front government of VP Singh – formed in 1989 – and the United Front government of 1996-97, both supported from outside by the CPI-M, Mr Yechury was the go to man in the UPA years from 2004-2014.

Mr Yechury, who was born in Chennai and studied at Delhi’s St Stephen’s College and Jawaharlal Nehru University, was a trusted ally of United Progressive Alliance chairperson Sonia Gandhi in Manmohan Singh’s 10 years as prime minister.

He was the first non-Congress leader Gandhi called after she met then president APJ Abdul Kalam in 2004 when she turned down the post of prime minister and rallied for Singh.

Earlier, Mr Yechury, one of the Left’s most recognised faces, worked with Congress leader P Chidambaram to draft the common minimum programme for the United Front government.

It was an equation that survived the shock withdrawal of support by the Left to the UPA in 2008 over the Indo-US nuclear deal. Mr Yechury played an important role in the discussions with the UPA government on the issue.

Expressing his condolences, Congress leader Jairam Ramesh described him as an “unrepentant Marxist with a pragmatic streak, a pillar of the CPI(M), and a superb Parliamentarian”.

While his political colleagues remembered Mr Yechury the politician, old friends went down memory lane to remember their walks from Rafi Marg to Chanakya to watch films.

Mr Yechury, who famously loved old Hindi film songs, books and endless conversations on politics, was a Rajya Sabha MP for 12 years till 2017, remaining a powerful voice of the Opposition.

At the end of his tenure, he refused to take another term and said in his farewell speech in the Upper House that he came to Parliament “reluctantly”. As Left activists, they used to say it was better to stay far away from the “gol building” (the round building), he remarked.

Mr Yechury became general secretary of the CPI-M at the 21st party Congress in Visakhapatnam on April 19, 2015 , taking over from Karat at a time the party was down from 43 MPs in 2004 to nine in 2014. He was subsequently re-elected to the post in 2018, and 2022.

In an interview with PTI in 2015, after taking over as party general secretary, Mr Yechury said they should have withdrawn support on issues like price rise as the people could not be mobilised on the nuclear deal issue in the 2009 general elections. He was known for his strong and articulate speeches in Rajya Sabha on issues ranging from the plight of the farmers and the working classes to the government’s economic and foreign policies and the growing threat of communalism.

The CPI-M leader was fluent in Hindi, Telugu, Tamil, Bangla, and also Malayalam. He was also well-versed in Hindu mythology, and often used those references in his speeches especially to attack the BJP.

Mr Yechury remained one of the most vocal critics of the Narendra Modi government and its liberal economic policies.

His alliance-building skills came to use again for the Left in the run-up to the 2024 general elections. In 2018, ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, the Central Committee of the CPI-M had rejected the proposal of having any understanding or alliance with Congress. Mr Yechury had then offered to resign as the general secretary.

However, in the run-up to the 2024 elections, as talks for a united opposition grouping started and opposition parties got together to form the INDIA bloc, CPI-M was part of it. Mr Yechury remained among the key faces of the alliance.

Though CPI-M was part of the INDIA bloc in the recent Lok Sabha polls, the Congress and communist parties fought separately in Kerala, the last remaining Left bastion where CPI-M won only one seat. However, being a part of the bloc helped the CPI-M and it won a seat in Rajasthan and two seats in Tamil Nadu, taking its total tally up to four, from three in the 17th Lok Sabha.

His journey in politics started with the Students’ Federation of India (SFI), which he joined in 1974 and became a member of the party the very next year. He was arrested a few months later during the Emergency.

After his release, Mr Yechury was elected president of the JNU Students’ Union thrice. In the SFI, he became the all-India joint secretary in 1978 and its president soon thereafter.

When he became SFI president in 1978, he was the first person who did not belong to either West Bengal or Kerala to occupy the post.

His rise in the party was swift. In 1985, he was elected to the Central Committee of the CPI-M and to the Politburo in 1992 at the age of 40 and then party chief in 2015. Born in a Telugu-speaking family in Chennai on August 12, 1952, Mr Yechury’s father Sarveswara Somayajula Yechury was an engineer in the Andhra Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation. His mother Kalpakam Yechury was a government officer.

He grew up in Hyderabad and his family moved to Delhi in 1969. A bright student, Mr Yechury achieved the all-India first rank in the Central Board of Secondary Education examinations and subsequently did his graduation in economics from St. Stephen’s College, Delhi.

He did his post-graduation from Jawaharlal Nehru University again with a first-class, but could not complete his PhD due to his arrest during the Emergency after having remained underground for some time and organising resistance.

He also headed the party’s international department and was editor of the party organ ‘People’s Democracy’ for several years.

In a recent interview to PTI, Mr Yechury said the 2024 verdict was a setback for the BJP but also expressed concern over his party’s marginally improved performance.

He said serious introspection would be done on how to close the gap between its ability to launch struggles on the ground and its power to win seats.

Mr Yechury is survived by his wife Seema Chishti and his two children, Akhila and Danish. His elder son, Ashish Yechury, passed away due to Covid in 2021. Mr Yechury was earlier married to Indrani Mazumdar.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Veteran political leader and CPI-M General Secretary Sitaram Yechury, who was undergoing treatment at the intensive care unit at the AIIMS New Delhi, died this afternoon. He was 72. His passing away was condoled by leaders spanning the political spectrum. The CPI-M leader was admitted to AIIMS on August 19 for the treatment of a pneumonia-like chest infection. Mr Yechury is survived by his wife and senior journalist Seema Chishti, daughter Akhila, and son Daanish. His 34-year-old son, Ashish Yechury, died of Covid in 2021.

Also Read | Left Veteran Sitaram Yechury Dies At 72 After Battling Respiratory Illness

A prominent leftist leader, renowned for his eloquence and active roles in both parliament and activism, he has left a mark on every facet of modern politics with his exceptional organisational skills and wide-reaching influence across political parties in India. Beginning his political career in the 1970s, he has also embraced modern technology and social media with remarkable ease. His interviews with popular podcasters have frequently gained attention, though he has not been immune to the spread of fake news in the digital age.

An old image of Sitaram Yechury with former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi once went viral, accompanied by misleading information. A few years ago, multiple social media accounts shared a post falsely claiming that in 1975, during the Emergency, Indira Gandhi entered Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) with Delhi Police, assaulted CPI leader Yechury, who was then president of the JNU Students’ Union, and forced him to resign and publicly apologise for protesting against the Emergency. The archived version of one such post can be seen here.

However, the actual situation was very different. This photograph was shot outside of Indira Gandhi’s home, not at JNU. This image was taken when the emergency ended in 1977. Mr Yechury organised a demonstration in 1977 to demand that Indira Gandhi resign from her position as chancellor of the institution after being elected president of the JNU Students’ Union. Indira Gandhi was listening to Yechury as she read out the demands of the students’ union in the picture. Indira Gandhi held on to the post despite losing the Lok Sabha polls, which were held following the Emergency.

An alumnus of Delhi’s St Stephen’s College and Jawaharlal Nehru University, Mr Yechury started his political career with the Students’ Federation of India and joined the CPIM in 1975. He was pursuing his doctorate in economics from JNU when the Indira Gandhi government imposed the Emergency in 1975, and he was arrested along with many other leaders who would later play a key role in national politics. His PhD remained incomplete.

Mr Yechury was elected president of the JNU Student’s Union three times in a year after he was out of jail. It was during this time that he also met Prakash Karat, who would remain a lifelong companion.

Veteran Left leader and CPM general secretary Sitaram Yechury died this afternoon. He was 72 and was undergoing treatment for respiratory ailments at Delhi’s All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS).

The CPM leader was admitted to the emergency ward of AIIMS on August 19 and later shifted to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU). He was suffering from a pneumonia-like infection, but doctors had not disclosed the exact nature of the ailment. Mr Yechury recently underwent cataract surgery.

A member of CPM’s top decision-making body Politburo for over three decades, Mr Yechury was a Rajya Sabha MP from 2005 to 2017.

An alumnus of Delhi’s St Stephen’s College and Jawaharlal Nehru University, Mr Yechury started his political career with the Students’ Federation of India and joined the CPIM in 1975. He was pursuing his doctorate in Economics from JNU when the Indira Gandhi government imposed the Emergency in 1975 and he was arrested along with many other leaders who would later play a key role in national politics. His PhD remained incomplete.

Mr Yechury was elected president of the JNU Student’s Union thrice in a year after he was out of jail. It was during this time that he also met Prakash Karat, who would remain a lifelong comrade.

In 1992, he was elected as a Politburo member. Four years later, he was among the leaders who played a key role in drafting a Common Minimum Programme for the United Front government. Mr Yechury also played a significant role in forging of the ruling coalition for the UPA government in 2004.

Expressing his condolences, Rahul Gandhi, Congress MP and Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha, described him as a “friend” and a “protector of the Idea of India”. “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.”

Union Minister Nitin Gadkari said he was “deeply saddened” by the passing of Sitaram Yechury. “His contributions to public life will always be remembered. Heartfelt condolences to his family and loved ones during this difficult time. Om Shanti,” Mr Gadkari said in a post on X.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee also expressed her condolences. “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 the national politics. I express my condolences to his family, friends and colleagues,” she said in a post on X.

New Delhi:

Communist Party of India (M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury was admitted to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) here on Monday after he complained of a high fever, sources said.

According to hospital sources, Sitaram Yechury was admitted in the emergency department of the hospital in the evening.

However, the exact nature of his ailment was not revealed by the hospital.

A source from the CPI(M) said he had gone for a checkup, and was admitted due to pneumonia.

The source added that he was undergoing treatment and he is fine.

“There is nothing serious, he has been admitted due to pneumonia,” the source said.

The CPI(M) leader had recently undergone a cataract surgery.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)