Yechury honours Left tradition of body donation
CPM general secretary Sitaram Yechury on Thursday joined the long list of Left leaders whose bodies have been donated for medical research.
Sitaram’s family donated the late leader’s body to AIIMS New Delhi as per his last wish. Speaking to The Tribune, AIIMS Protocol division chief Rima Dada said his body had been embalmed.
“It will be taken by the family and CPM leaders for last respects and handed back to AIIMS on September 14 for medical research,” she said.
Senior CPM leader Brinda Karat was at AIIMS all day to help complete the formalities of the process. The body will be brought to the hospital after being kept at the party’s city office on September 14 (11 am to 3 pm) for public homage.
By donating his body, Sitaram has honoured a long standing Left tradition. In the past, CPM veteran Jyoti Basu, who was West Bengal CM for 34 years, pledged his body in April 2003. After his demise in 2010, it was donated to Kolkata’s SSKM Hospital.
Basu’s successor and former Bengal CM Budhdadeb Bhattacharjee also pledged his body, which was donated to Kolkata’s Nil Ratan Sircar Medical College after he passed away last month. Former Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee, who was with the CPM for the best part of his political career, pledged his body in 2000.
