Sitaram Yechury, the General Secretary of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), passed away on September 12th, 2024, aged 72, due to complications from an acute respiratory tract infection. He was undergoing treatment at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences in New Delhi.
Born on August 12th, 1952, in Madras, Yechury moved to Delhi in 1969. He studied at St. Stephen’s College, and later at Jawaharlal Nehru University. He resisted the Emergency, which was declared by Indira Gandhi between 1975 to 1977, alongside fellow student leaders like Prakash Karat and Arun Jaitley.
During this period, he was arrested, and after his release, he continued his political journey, as a student leader and then as a career politician. He was elevated to the CPI(M)‘s Polit Bureau in 1992.
Yechury, an ardent advocate of coalition politics, worked on the common minimum programme for the United Front government in 1996 and for the UPA governments in 2004 and 2009.
The Left, staunchly opposed to disinvestment and foreign direct investment, clashed with Congress on economic policies. But the real trouble began in 2007, when the UPA pursued a nuclear energy deal with the United States — a deal that shook the foundation of the alliance.
From challenging economic policies to opposing the India-US Civil Nuclear Agreement, he was a voice that consistently held the government accountable. He took over as CPI(M) General Secretary in 2015.
Yechury is survived by his wife Seema Chisti and daughter Akhila Yechury.
Script: Shikha KumariVoiceover: Sharmada VenkatasubramanianProduction: V Nivedita
Published - September 12, 2024 08:48 pm IST
