General Secretary of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), Sitaram Yechury died on Thursday at the age of 72.
He had been receiving treatment for pneumonia at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi, since August 19.
AIIMS confirmed in a statement that Yechury's family has donated his body to the hospital for teaching and research purposes, continuing his legacy of contribution to public life.
Born on August 12, 1952, in Chennai, Yechury was a towering figure in Indian politics. His career began in 1974 with the Students' Federation of India (SFI), where he quickly ascended through the ranks to become the All-India President of SFI.
In 1984, he was elected to the Central Committee of the CPI(M) and later became a member of the Politburo in 1992, a role he held for over 30 years.
Yechury served as a Rajya Sabha MP for West Bengal from 2005 to 2017 and succeeded Prakash Karat as the CPI(M) General Secretary in 2015. He was re-elected to this position in 2018 and again in 2022.
Tributes poured in from across the political spectrum.
Congress MP Rahul Gandhi described Yechury as "a protector of the Idea of India" and lamented the loss of their long discussions.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee also mourned his death, calling it "a loss for national politics."
Follow us
