CPI(M) leader Sitaram Yechury, who was admitted to AIIMS Delhi, passed away on Thursday after prolonged illness, news agency PTI reported citing party and hospital sources. Notably, Yechury was admitted to AIIMS on August 19 for treatment of pneumonia-like chest infection. Sitaram was 72 at the time of death.
Sitaram over the past few days had been on respiratory support and was under treatment by a multidisciplinary team of doctors.
Who was Sitaram Yechury
Sitaram Yechury had succeeded Prakash Karat as the general secretary of the CPM in 2015. he grew in life under the leadership of party leader Harkishan Singh Surjeet, who had played major roles in the coalition era governance first during the National Front government of V P Singh and the United Front government of 1996-97, both of which the CPI(M) had supported from outside.
Significantly, Sitaram had played a critical role in the talks with the government on the Indo-US nuclear deal that led to the Left parties withdrawing support to the UPA-I government because of Karat’s stubborn stand.
Key things to know about Sitaram Yechury
- It is significant to know that Sitaram Yechury was the General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Politburo Communist Party of India (Marxist) since April 19, 2015 and his second term as a Member of Parliament in the Rajya Sabha ended in 2017.
- Born on August 12, 1952 in Chennai, Sitaram Yechury grew up in Hyderabad and completed his schooling at All Saints High School till tenth standard (Class 10) and later reached Delhi during Telangana agitation of 1969.
- Sitaram joined Presidents Estate School in Delhi and secured the All-India first rank in the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) Higher Secondary Examination.
- he also secured first rank in B A (Hons) in Economics at St Stephen's College, Delhi, and M A in Economics from Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU).
- Later, Sitaram joined the JNU for a PhD in Economics which was aborted with his arrest during 'The Emergency' in 1975. Sitaram in the 1970s was President of the Jawaharlal Nehru University Students' Union led by the Students' Federation of India (SFI) thrice.
- Later, he was arrested during the Emergency. Along with Prakash Karat, he was responsible for turning JNU into a Left bastion.
