CPI(M) General Secretary Sitaram Yechury has died in Delhi AIIMS. He was 72 years old. He was admitted in AIIMS for a few days. According to information received from AIIMS, Yechury had acute respiratory infection. He developed pneumonia due to this. Yechury was admitted to the emergency department of AIIMS on 19 August after complaining of high fever. After this, he was admitted to the ICU. His condition remained critical for a few days. He died due to pneumonia.

Sitaram Yechury was born in 1952 in Madras (Chennai) in a Telugu Brahmin family. His father Sarveshwar Somayajula Yechury was an engineer in the Andhra Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation. Mother Kalpakam Yechury was a government official. He obtained BA in Economics from St. Stephen's College, Delhi and MA from Jawaharlal Nehru University. Yechury's wife's name is Seema. His son Ashish died in 2021. Daughter Akhila teaches at Edinburgh and St. Andrews University.

Three-time President of JNU Students Union

Sitaram Yechury became a member of the Communist Party of India in 1975. When Yechury was studying at JNU in 1975, he was arrested during the Emergency. He came into politics from college days itself. He was elected President of JNU Students Union three times. Yechury came into the limelight for reading a pamphlet outside the residence of then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.

Sitaram Yechury is known for continuing the coalition-building legacy of former General Secretary Harkishan Singh Surjeet. In 1996, he assisted P. Chidambaram to draft the Common Minimum Program for the United Front government. He also played an important role in the coalition during the formation of the UPA government in 2004.

Important things related to Sitaram Yechury

Joined the Students Federation of India in 1974.
Became a member of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) in 1975.
He promoted leftist ideology in JNU.
He was the President of JNU Students Union from 1977 to 1978
Worked on many posts in the party while being the President of the Students Union
Became the joint-editor of the Students Federation of India in 1978.
Joined the Central Committee of CPIM in 1984.
Became the General Secretary of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) on 19 April 2015.
Won the Best MP award in Rajya Sabha in 2016.
Yechury was a member of Rajya Sabha for 12 years.
He was elected to the Upper House of Parliament in 2005 and remained an MP till 2017.
He contributed a lot in promoting youth in the party.

Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi has expressed grief over the demise of Sitaram Yechury. In a post on the social media platform, Rahul wrote, Sitaram Yechury ji was my friend. He was a protector of the country's ideas and a person with a deep understanding of the country. We used to have long discussions. My condolences to his family, friends and supporters in this hour of grief.