Nationalist Congress Party - Sharadchandra Pawar (NCP - SP) chief Sharad Pawar paid tribute to CPI(M) General Secretary Sitaram Yechury on Saturday at the party’s office in Delhi. Pawar laid a wreath of white flowers near Yechury’s coffin as party members chanted “Lal Salaam.”
The mortal remains of CPI(M) General Secretary Sitaram Yechury were brought to the party’s AKG Bhavan on Saturday in a casket adorned with flowers. The CPI(M) national committee announced that Yechury’s body would be kept at the office from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. for public viewing.
Several political leaders, including Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi, Jairam Ramesh, Ajay Maken, Rajeev Shukla, NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar, and Rajya Sabha MP Kapil Sibal, paid their last respects.
"All politicians only think about themselves, dream of only power and position, but people like Sitaram Yechury gave their lives for others. They knew they were never going to come to power and yet all their lives were for others. He was a dear friend... He used to mesmerise the Parliament with his interventions," Rajya Sabha MP Kapil Sibal said after paying tribute.
Yechury, 72, passed away on Sept. 12 at 3:05 p.m. after a prolonged illness. According to the reports, Yechury was initially hospitalised with a high fever and later moved to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU). He was suffering from a respiratory tract infection which developed complications.
Yechury's political career began in 1974 when he joined the Students' Federation of India (SFI). He became a member of the CPI(M) in 1975 and succeeded Prakash Karat as General Secretary in 2015. Yechury was re-elected to the position in 2018 and 2022.
A prominent Indian politician, Yechury served on the CPI(M) politburo for 32 years and represented West Bengal in the Rajya Sabha, the upper house of Parliament, from 2005 to 2017.
Yechury's body has been donated to AIIMS for research, and no cremation will be held.