Remembering Sitaram Yechury

Sitaram Yechury passed away on 12 September. 

(Photo: The Quint)

The news that Sitaram Yechury, the stalwart General Secretary of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI (M)], has succumbed to a respiratory infection has left his many friends and admirers in shock.

I did not know Sitaram at our shared alma mater, St Stephen’s College in Delhi University, where he was some three years senior to me. But once we met during my contest for the position of Secretary-General of the United Nations (in which his party also endorsed my candidacy), he became a friend and remained one till his passing.

“Sita”, as he was known to friends, left an indelible mark on Indian politics.

Born on August 12, 1952, in Chennai, Yechury’s journey from a student leader to the General Secretary of CPI (M) is a testament to his dedication and leadership. Born to Sarveswara and Kalpakam Yechury, natives of Kakinada, Andhra Pradesh, he spent his early years in Hyderabad before moving to Delhi University in 1969 during the campus disturbances of the Telangana movement.

Sitaram Yechury excelled academically, securing the All-India first rank in the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) Higher Secondary Examination. He pursued his Bachelor’s degree in Economics from St. Stephen’s College, Delhi, and later completed his Master’s degree in Economics from Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU).

It was JNU that sealed his political direction when in 1974 he joined the Students’ Federation of India (SFI), the student wing of CPI (M). His leadership skills quickly came to the fore, and he was elected as the President of the JNU Students’ Union three times in 1977 and 1978. Yechury’s political journey was set when he went underground during the Emergency but was eventually arrested.

After the Emergency, Sita’s rise within CPI (M) was swift. He became a member of the Central Committee in 1984 and was elected to the Politburo in 1992. His strategic acumen, outgoing personality and oratory skills made him a key figure in the party. 

In 2005, he was elected to the Rajya Sabha by his comrades in West Bengal and served until 2017, when despite the desire of many of his allies to see him return, his parliamentary career ended at the behest of his party.

When I met him in 2006, he was already the de facto co-leader to his JNU comrade Prakash Karat (they met me together at the party headquarters when the UPA government asked me to introduce myself to them as India’s official candidate at the UN).

In 2015, Yechury succeeded Karat as the General Secretary of CPI (M). Under his leadership, the party navigated through challenging times, including electoral setbacks in the CPI (M)’s former bastions of Bengal and Tripura, and mounting internal dissent. 

Yechury, an amiable pragmatist himself, was known for his gregarious manner and engaging style; there was little doubt where he stood on efforts to build alliances with other opposition parties to counter the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), though his ideological flexibility was not always supported by the hardliners in his party.

There is no doubt that Sitaram Yechury’s contributions to Indian politics extend well beyond his party. I got a personal taste of his expansive worldview and openness to non-ideological heresies during the years we both served as Vice-Presidents of the Indian Council of World Affairs, representing our respective Houses of Parliament on that internationalist body.

He played a crucial role during the UPA government’s first term, where he and the Left influenced key policy decisions and won the confidence of UPA Convenor Sonia Gandhi. His commitment to social justice, secularism, and workers’ rights has left a lasting legacy, but it is his affable manner, ready wit and infectious smile that will long be remembered.

Whether you agreed with him ideologically or not, Sitaram Yechury was impossible not to like. His kind words to friends uttered in the rasping voice that betrayed a lifetime’s chain-smoking, endeared him to everyone in Parliament and beyond. His life and career were a reflection of his unwavering commitment to his principles and his party.

His journey from a student leader to a national political figure is an inspiration to many. As a leader, he has left behind a legacy of resilience, dedication, and relentless pursuit of social justice, conducted with decency, warmth and integrity.

Three years ago, I reached out to Sitaram to condole the tragic and premature demise of his son Ashish, due to COVID-19. Little did I realise that his own lungs would give way just three years later.

Sita leaves behind his brilliant journalist wife, Seema Chishti, and his daughter, Akhila. Yechury’s personal experiences, including the loss of his son, deeply influenced his perspectives and his approach to politics and led to his emphasis on empathy and resilience.

His life story is not just one of political achievements but also of personal strength and commitment to his values. He will be much missed across the political spectrum.

(Former UN Under-Secretary-General, Shashi Tharoor is a Congress MP and an author. He can be reached @ShashiTharoor.)