Kolkata: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday condoled the death of CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury, calling it a loss to national politics.
Yechury died at All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in New Delhi on Thursday following prolonged illness, hospital and party sources said. He was 72.
Yechury was in a critical condition for the last few days and was on respiratory support.
“Sad to know that Sri Sitaram Yechury has passed away. I knew the veteran parliamentarian that he was and his demise will be a loss for national politics. I express my condolences to his family, friends and colleagues,” she posted on X.
TMC national general secretary and MP Abhishek Banerjee also condoled Yechury’s death and said his understanding of public policy and keen insight into parliamentary affairs were truly remarkable.
“Sad to hear about the passing of veteran CPI(M) leader Sitaram Yechury. While our political ideologies often clashed, I had the privilege of interacting with him during several opposition meetings over the last couple of years.
“His simplicity, profound understanding of public policy and keen insight into parliamentary affairs were truly remarkable. My thoughts are with his family, friends and all those who admired him. May his soul find peace. Om Shanti!” he posted on X.
Yechury along with former West Bengal CPI(M) patriarch Buddhadeb Bhattacharya, who passed away last month, and former CPI(M) state secretary Surya Kanta Mishra, were known to be the architects of the Left-Congress alliance in West Bengal in 2016 and 2021 assembly polls and the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.
Yechury, who started from the student union of Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) as a member of the Students’ Federation of India (SFI) and went on to become a member of the Central Committee of the CPI(M) in 1984, got elected to the Politburo in 1992.
He served as a Rajya Sabha MP for 12 years, from 2005 to 2017. He became the fifth general secretary of the CPI(M) at the 21st party congress in Visakhapatnam on April 19, 2015, and took over from Prakash Karat.
He also played a significant role in the opposition INDIA bloc.
He was seen among the political mentors of Congress leader and Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi.
