CPI-M chief and former Rajya Sabha MP Sitaram Yechury is no more

Sitaram Yechury, the general secretary of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) and former Rajya Sabha MP, passed away on Thursday at the age of 72.

Yechury had been admitted to the intensive care unit of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), where he was receiving treatment for an acute respiratory tract infection.

Despite being on respiratory support and under the care of a multidisciplinary team of doctors in recent days, Yechury's health deteriorated, leading to his death.

Born on August 12, 1952, in Chennai, Yechury was originally named Yechury Sitarama Rao. He was the son of Sarveshwara Somayajalu Yechury and Kalpakam.

Yechury's death has created a significant loss in Indian politics. He is remembered for his substantial contributions to the communist movement in India. The CPI(M) has announced that his funeral will be held on Friday.

In 2021, Yechury experienced a profound personal tragedy with the death of his eldest son, Ashish Yechury, a 35-year-old journalist, due to COVID-19. An accomplished communicator, Yechury was fluent in five languages: Telugu, Bangla, Hindi, and English, and authored nine books. He is survived by his wife, Seema Chisti, a journalist and editor at The Wire, and his daughter, Akhila Yechury, who teaches history at the University of Edinburgh and the University of St Andrews.