Sitaram Yechury's Body to be Donated to AIIMS for Research

Following a protracted illness, yechury died at the age of 72. The senior politician had been critically ill for several days after being admitted to AIIMS New Delhi on August 19 for treatment of acute respiratory tract infection, which resembled pneumonia.

Over the past few days, he had been on respiratory support and under treatment by a multidisciplinary team of doctors with his condition reported to be critical, according to CPI(M) leaders.

Politicians from all parties expressed their sorrow over the news, causing outpourings of grief.

His family has donated his body to AIIMS, New Delhi for teaching and research purposes. His body will be handed over to the hospital on Saturday.

Yechury's body will be transported from AIIMS to his home in Delhi on Friday, where it will be held overnight. On Saturday morning, his body would be brought to the CPI(M) central committee office for public viewing. Later that evening, AIIMS will receive his body.

On August 12, 1952, in Chennai, Sitaram Yechury was born into a Telugu-speaking Brahmin family. His early years were spent in Hyderabad, where he attended All Saints High School and completed his education. He relocated to Delhi in 1969 as a result of the disruption of academic life by the separate Telangana movement. Yechury completed his higher secondary education at President's Estate School in Delhi, securing the All-India first rank in the CBSE examination. He then pursued a B.A. (Hons) in Economics from St. Stephen's College, Delhi University, graduating with a first class. Yechury later graduated from Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) in M.A. Economics.

While attending JNU in 1974, Yechury started his political career as an activist of the Students' Federation of India (SFI). In 1975, he became a member of the Communist Party of India (Marxist). Yechury went into hiding and was detained for organising resistance during the 1975–1977 Emergency imposed by Indira Gandhi. Between 1977 and 1978, he was chosen three times to serve as President of the JNU Students' Union following the lifting of the Emergency.

In 1984, Yechury and Prakash Karat were inducted into the CPI(M) Central Committee. In 1992, he became a member of the CPI (M) Politburo. Yechury learned the ropes of the party by working closely with veteran leaders such as E.M.S. Namboodiripad and Harkishan Singh Surjeet. He was elected to the Central Secretariat in 1988, the Polit Bureau in 1992, and the CPI(M) Congress in 1985.

Yechury played a key role in the establishment of the United Front government in 1996 as well as the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government in 2004. He held multiple terms as a member of the Rajya Sabha.

On April 19, 2015, Yechury was chosen as the Communist Party of India's (Marxist) general secretary. Up to his death in 2024, he held this role. Under his direction, the party managed to stay true to its ideological principles while adjusting to the shifting political environment by bridging the gap between pragmatism and dogmatism.

Personal Life:

Yechury married Seema Chisti, the editor of The Wire and a former BBC Hindi Service editor in Delhi. They were parents to a girl and a son. At the age of 34, his son Ashish Yechury passed away on April 22, 2021, from COVID-19. Akhila Yechury, his daughter, is a history major and an adjunct professor at the universities of Edinburgh and St Andrews.

Throughout his political career, Sitaram Yechury was honoured with many honours and recognitions that highlighted his leadership position in the Communist Party of India (Marxist) and his contributions to Indian politics.

Best Parliamentarian Award (Rajya Sabha): In recognition of his outstanding work as a Rajya Sabha member, Yechury received the Best Parliamentarian Award in 2017. This honour recognised his capacity to clearly state the case and make a significant contribution to parliamentary debates.

Influential Political Figure: Yechury was acknowledged as a prominent player in Indian politics, especially because of his coalition-building efforts during his tenure. Especially during the United Front government in 1996 and the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government in 2004, he played a significant role in building alliances that changed the political landscape.

Leadership in CPI(M): Yechury was acknowledged for his attempts to modernise the party's strategy while upholding its ideological integrity during his tenure as General Secretary of the CPI(M) from 2015 till his death in 2024. Throughout his term, he made an effort to adjust to India's shifting political landscape.