CPI(M) pays tribute to Yechury, remembered as defender of India

CPI(M) leaders paid tribute to Sitaram Yechury on his 2nd death anniversary. MA Baby called his death a blow to forces preserving India's syncretic culture and constitutional values, and recalled political setbacks in West Bengal and Kerala.

CPI(M) leaders on Saturday paid floral tribute to former party General Secretary Sitaram Yechury on his second death anniversary, with current party general secretary MA Baby remembering him as a defender of India’s syncretic culture, constitutional values and the idea of India.

Speaking to reporters on the occasion, MA Baby said Yechury’s death was a major loss not only for the CPI(M) and the Left movement but also for forces working towards preserving India’s syncretic culture. “The death of Comrade Sitaram Yechury was a heavy blow to our party and the Left movement, but it was also a heavy blow to the forces that wanted to develop a syncretic culture in Indian society. He was a defender of the idea of India and a defender of constitutional values, so it is more than a loss for the CPI(M) or the Left alone,” MA Baby said.

Political Setbacks in Yechury's Absence

Recalling the political setbacks faced by the Left in Yechury’s absence, Baby said the Bharatiya Janata Party had succeeded in misleading people in West Bengal. “During his absence, it is unfortunate that in West Bengal, for the first time, we have a BJP Chief Minister—the BJP was successful in misleading the people of West Bengal,” he said.

Baby also referred to the setback suffered by the CPI(M)-led Left Democratic Front in Keralam, where the party had formed the government for two consecutive terms. “Similarly, in Keralam, where we have had a two-term CPI(M)-led Left Democratic Front government, we also suffered a setback,” he said.

He said party leaders and workers had taken a pledge to carry forward Yechury’s political legacy and traditions. “Today, we have taken a pledge that we will carry forward the tradition of Comrade Sitaram Yechury,” Baby said.

Yechury, a prominent CPI(M) leader and former general secretary of the party, died in September 2024. His second death anniversary was marked by party leaders paying tribute to his contributions to the Left movement and public life.

Who was Sitaram Yechury?

Early Life and Education

Born in Chennai on August 12, 1952, Yechury did his schooling in Hyderabad and later moved to Delhi for higher studies. He studied at St Stephen's College of the University of Delhi and joined JNU for his post-graduation. A brilliant student, he secured a first-class in both his undergraduate and postgraduate degrees in economics.

Rise in the CPI(M)

Sitaram Yechury joined the CPI(M) in 1975. He was arrested during the emergency for his political activities. He was elected to the Central Committee of the Party in 1985 at the 12th Congress. Yechury was elected to the Central Secretariat in 1989 and to the Polit Bureau in 1992 at the 14th Congress of the Party. He was elected as the General Secretary of the CPI(M) at the 21st Congress in 2015.

A Distinguished Parliamentarian

A member of the Rajya Sabha for two terms from 2005 to 2017, he was an effective parliamentarian whose speeches and interventions were eagerly watched and a recipient of the Best Parliamentarian award in 2017.

An affable leader with cross-party political connections, Sitaram Yechury was among the most prominent Left leaders in the country, known as much for his sharp and knowledgeable parliamentary interventions as for his role in giving shape to pragmatic alliances to forge his party's political objectives.

On September 21, 2024, Sitaram Yechury passed away at AIIMS Delhi after suffering from a respiratory tract infection. (ANI)

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