Sea of mourners bids adieu to CPM stalwart Yechury

A sea of mourners, cutting across age groups, and a united opposition paid their final respects to CPM leader Sitaram Yechury at the party headquarters on Saturday. Yechury passed away on September 12 at AIIMS Delhi.

Global leaders pay respects

International figures, including ex-Nepalese Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal, Chinese Ambassador to India Xu Feihong and Vietnamese Ambassador to India Nguyen Thanh, also paid their respects to Yechury.

Wrapped in the iconic red flag, Yechury’s mortal remains were brought to the party headquarters for the public to pay homage. Among those who offered their tributes were Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, Congress parliamentary party chairperson Sonia Gandhi, Congress leaders P Chidambaram and Jairam Ramesh, as well as NCP-SCP chief Sharad Pawar.

Recounting his interactions with Yechury, RJD MP Manoj Kumar Jha said, “He was always full of ideas on what to do next. It is difficult to fill the void left by him. No discussion in Indian politics will be complete without mentioning his name.” Rajya Sabha MP Kapil Sibal echoed the sentiment, stating, “Many politicians live for themselves and power, but people like Yechury gave their lives for others. He was a dear friend.”

DMK MP Kanimozhi said, “I am here on behalf of my party and also on a personal level to pay my respects to a very important and great leader of this country. He was a thinker, a writer, and a philosopher.” Reflecting on Yechury’s passing, she added, “Only when I saw him in a box could I believe that someone so full of life, wit, and love could just go, leaving us in shock and disbelief.”

Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav called Yechury “one of the greatest leaders of the country”, noting his efforts to build bridges between ideologies when necessary. “He struggled all his life and devoted his entire life to spreading his ideology to the masses. The country has lost a mature leader,” Yadav remarked.