Veteran CPI(M) leader Sitaram Yechury passes away at 72
Communist Party of India CPI(M) General Secretary Sitaram Yechury passed away on Thursday after a prolonged illness. He was 72. He was admitted to the intensive care unit of AIIMS in Delhi on September 10 and was being treated for an acute respiratory tract infection. Before that, he was admitted to the same hospital on August 19 for treatment of a pneumonia-like chest infection.
Press release by CPI(M)
He had cataract surgery
He also had cataract surgery recently. Yechury was a member of the Politburo, the CPI(M)'s top decision-making body, for nearly three decades and served in the Rajya Sabha from 2005 to 2017. He became a member of the CPI(M) in 1975, shortly after joining the Students' Federation of India (SFI) in 1974.
He served as president of the JNU Students' Union
He also served as president of the JNU Students' Union three times from 1977 and 1988. Alongside Prakash Karat, Yechury played a substantial role in the expansion of the leftist influence at JNU. He was also recognized for maintaining the coalition-building efforts that were established by former general secretary Harkishan Singh Surjeet.
Sitaram Yechury ji was a friend: Rahul Gandhi
As news of Yechury's passing spread, several political party leaders poured in their condolences. Calling Yechury a "protector of the Idea of India," Congress leader Rahul Gandhi wrote, "I will miss the long discussions we used to have. My sincere condolences." Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee also offered her condolences, writing, "His demise will be a loss for the national politics."
