CPI(M) Polit Bureau pays homage to Comrade Sitaram Yechury

The 72-year-old leader passed away due to pneumonia. He was admitted to the AIIMS in Delhi on August 19.In a post on X, the Communist Party of India (Marxist), "Yechury was the topmost leader of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), an outstanding leader of the Left movement and a well-known Marxist ideologue. He was a brilliant student who secured a first class in both his undergraduate and post-graduate degrees in economics."

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 and he remained in the Central Committee till now.

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 position he continued until now. As part of leadership team at the Party Centre for over three decades, he played an important role in formulating the political positions of the Party from time to time. It was in the field of ideology that Sitaram played a distinctive role. The Party adopted a resolution on certain ideological issues at the 14th Congress, which formulated the ideological positions of the Party consequent to the setbacks to socialism, the post further reads.

This resolution was presented by Comrade Sitaram to the Congress. Subsequently, he was the prime mover of the resolution which updated the ideological positions, adopted at the 20th Congress of the Party in 2012.

Sitaram Yechury was a member of the Rajya Sabha for two terms from 2005 to 2017. He served as the leader of the CPI(M) group and was an effective parliamentarian. He was given the best parliamentarian award in 2017.

In the recent period, Sitaram Yechury devoted a lot of his time and energy towards forging a broad unity of the secular opposition parties, which took the shape of the INDIA bloc. In both the period of the United Front government and later the UPA government. Sitaram was one of the key interlocutors for the CPI(M), which was supporting these coalitions.

"The untimely demise of Sitaram Yechury at this crucial juncture in our national politics is a big blow for the CPI(M) and a grievous loss for the Left, democratic and secular forces. The Polit Bureau pays respectful homage to our beloved colleague and dips the red banner in his memory. The Polit Bureau calls upon all Party ranks to unite and work harder to advance the struggle for an exploitation-free society. This is the best tribute that can be paid to him. The Polit Bureau conveys its deepest sympathy and condolences to his wife Seema, his daughter Akhila, son Danish, brother Shankar and all other family members," the CPI (M) said on X.

Meanwhile, CPI(M) West Bengal State Secretary, Md Salim also expressed deep sorrow over the death of Sitaram Yechury.

"His death is untimely... He was not only a leader of the CPI(M), he emerged as an acceptable face for all those who opposed fascism, communalism and authoritarianism. He was playing his role to protect and preserve the Constitution. We will remember him...,"Md Salim said. (ANI)