New Delhi > Communist Party of India (Marxist) General Secretary Sitaram Yechury (73) passed away here after a prolonged illness. He was undergoing treatment for acute respiratory problems at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences. Prominent leaders including President Droupadi Murmu, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Congress Leader Rahul Gandhi condoled Yechury’s death.
An untiring crusader for democratic rights, Yechury commanded respect from one and all, including his political opponents. His twelve year stint as a member of the Rajya Sabha (2005 to 2017) was resplendent with thought provoking speeches and effective interventions.
Yechury was born on 12 August, 1952 in Madras to Telugu-speaking parents. Later the family moved to Hyderabad and Yechury studied at the All Saints High School there.
In 1969, during the Telengana agitation he came to New Delhi and pursued his Higher Secondary education at Presidents Estate School. A brilliant student, Yechury got first rank in the all India level in CBSE examination. He did his BA (Honours) in Economics at St Stephen’s College, New Delhi and passed out with a first class. Yechury joined the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) and completed his MA in Economics with flying colours. Though Yechury began research in Economics in the JNU, he had to discontinue during the Emergency.
Yechury’s political life began when he joined the Students Federation of India in 1974 and the Communist Party of India (Marxist) in the next year. During his JNU days, Yechury spearheaded a number of agitations against the Emergency and got arrested. One of the most illustrious and valorous political activities of Yechury happened on September 5, 1977 when he marched to the residence of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi along with his student comrades. Yechury was the President of JNU students union at that time. Despite strong resistance by security guards the students stuck to their demand to meet the Prime Minister. Finally Indira came out of the house and listened to the students. The students demanded the resignation of Mrs Gandhi from the post of Chancellor, JNU. Yechury read out loudly the accusations against the Prime Minister. Finally Indira had to resign from the post.
Yechury could maintain the fighting spirit that he had developed during his JNU days till his last days.
In 1978, Yechury was elected as the All India Joint Secretary of the SFI and later the All India President. He became the Central Committee member of the CPI (M) in 1984 and politburo member in 1992. In 2015, Yechury was elected as the General Secretary of the Party and continued till he breathed his last on Thursday.
He became a member of the Rajya Sabha from West Bengal in 2005. Yechury is survived by wife Seema Chisti, a prominent mediaperson and daughter Akhila who teaches history in University of Edinburgh. His son Ashish died in 2021.
What is This Hindu Rashtra?: On Golwalkar's Fascistic Ideology and the Saffron Brigade's Practice, Pseudo Hinduism Exposed: Saffron Brigade's Myths and Reality, Caste and Class in Indian Politics Today, Socialism in a Changing World, Left Hand Drive: Concrete Analysis of Concrete Conditions, Communalism vs. Secularism are some of the books written by Sitaram Yechury.
