Veteran CPI (M) leader Sitaram Yechury passes away at 72

CPI M General Secretary and former Rajya Sabha MP Sitaram Yechury passed away on September 12 He was undergoing treatment at AIIMS in Delhi for an acute respiratory tract infectionYechury 72 was admitted to the hospital on August 19 and later shifted to the intensive care unit The party had recently said that Yechurys condition was critical and that a multidisciplinary team of doctors were looking after himThe veteran politician is survived by his wife Seema Chisti and daughter Akhila His son Ashish Yechury passed away in 2021 from COVID19 at the age of 34Life and Political Career of Veteran CPI M leader Sitaram YechuryBorn on August 12 1952 in Chennai then Madras Yechury grew up in a middleclass family His father worked as an engineer and his mother was a housewife He demonstrated academic promise early on and travelled to Delhi for further study He studied at St Stephens College Delhi University and then received a Masters degree in Economics from Jawaharlal Nehru University At JNU he became deeply involved in student politics which helped shape his destiny in public lifeYechury joined the Students Federation of India SFI the CPIMs student branch while at JNU His active participation in student politics helped him gain prominence and he quickly ascended through the ranks In 1975 Yechury was elected President of the JNU Students Union His political career took a crucial turn during the Emergency 1975ndash77 when thenPrime Minister Indira Gandhi instituted authoritarian control Yechury was arrested and imprisoned for his opposition to the government at the timeFollowing his release Yechurys engagement in mainstream politics grew He officially joined the CPIM in 1975 and rose through the ranks to become a central figure by the 1980s Over the years he was instrumental in formulating the partys policy particularly on economic and social matters Yechury known for his eloquence frequently represents the CPIM in debates and discussions in Indias Parliament He was repeatedly elected to Indias upper house of Parliament the Rajya Sabha where he became known for his articulate speeches on issues such as secularism economic justice and the rights of marginalised communitiesYechury was elected General Secretary of the CPIM the partys highest position in 2015 Under his leadership the CPIM prioritised workers rights social justice and opposition to communism Yechury is considered one of the important voices in leftist politics in India persistently arguing for an inclusive secular and socialist vision for the countryDespite the CPIMs dwindling electoral power in recent years Yechury remained a respected voice in Indian politics advocating for policies to address social and economic inequities