NEW DELHI: Rich tributes were on Saturday paid to veteran Marxist leader and CPI (M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury at the party headquarters AKG Bhavan, where his mortal remains were brought amidst chants of 'Lal Salam' from his residence this morning.
Wrapped in the red flag of the CPI (M), the outstanding Left leader and the well-known Marxist ideologue's mortal remains were kept at the party office, where party leaders, including polit bureau members Prakash Karat, Brinda Karat, Pinarayi Vijayan and M A Baby, and others paid their tributes to the leader.
Yechury was an outright supporter of the Palestinian cause. After paying tributes at the party office, Palestinian Ambassador to India Adnan Abu Al-Haija says, "It is a very sad moment as we have lost a very great supporter of the Palestinian cause and the Palestinian people. He struggled for poor people who were always looking for humanity. We participated in a lot of events together supporting the Palestinian cause."
Chinese Ambassador to India Xu Feihong also present at the AKG Bhavan and paid tribute to the CPI(M) general secretary.
Congress Parliamentary Party Chairperson Sonia Gandhi reached the AKG Bhavan along with the other party leaders to pay her last respects to Yechury and reminisced her friendship with the Left leader.
He was the first non-Congress leader Gandhi called after she met then president Dr APJ Abdul Kalam in 2004 when she turned down the prime minister's post and rallied for Dr Manmohan Singh, an equation that survived the shock withdrawal of support by the Left to the UPA in 2008 over the Indo-US nuclear deal.
She also gave him due credits for contributing to the formation of the INDIA bloc - he played a distinctive role in creating this broad unity of secular parties.
Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leaders Manish Sisodia and Sanjay Singh also paid their last respects to the departed soul at the CPI (M) headquarters.
NCP (SP) president Sharad Pawar and RJD MP Manoj Jha as well paid homage to Yechury.
The CPI(M) general secretary died on Thursday at a hospital here after battling a lung infection.
Yechury, 72, was in a critical condition for the last few days and on respiratory support while undergoing treatment for an acute respiratory tract infection at the ICU in the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS).
He was admitted to the hospital on August 19.
On Friday, Yechury's body was taken to the Jawaharlal Nehru University from the AIIMS where hundreds of students and faculty members paid their last respects to him.
As a student at the JNU, Yechury was a part of the Students Federation of India (SFI), which he joined in 1974 and was arrested a few months later during the Emergency. He served as the president of SFI from 1984 to 1986.
In a post on X, the Students' Federation of India (SFI) paid tributes to the Left leader and said, "Adieu Comrade Sitaram Yechury. Students' Federation of India dips its banner in honour of our beloved comrade, former All India President of SFI and General Secretary of CPI(M), Sitaram Yechury".
He served as the president of the Jawaharlal Nehru University Students Union (JNUSU) thrice during 1977-78. Later, the body was taken to his residence, where senior CPI(M) leaders paid tributes to their comrade.
"The untimely demise of Sitaram Yechury at this crucial juncture in our national politics is a big blow for the CPI(M) and a grievous loss for the Left, democratic and secular forces. The Polit Bureau calls upon all party ranks to unite and work harder to advance the struggle for an exploitation-free society. This is the best tribute that can be paid to him," a statement issued by the party said.
Yechury was also a supporter of the Palestinian cause. After paying tributes at the party office, Palestinian Ambassador to India Adnan Abu Al-Haija says, "It is a very sad moment as we have lost a very great supporter of the Palestinian cause and the Palestinian people. He struggled for poor people who were always looking for humanity. We participated in a lot of events together supporting the Palestinian cause."
Chinese Ambassador to India Xu Feihong also present at the AKG Bhavan and paid tribute to the CPI(M) general secretary.
The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) consoled the demised of Yechury and said that he was a committed and sensitive political leader.
"Very sad to know about the demise of Sitaram Yechury, leader of CPM. We express deep condolences to his party people and family," RSS' Akhil Bharatiya Prachar Pramukh Sunil Ambekar said in a message.
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president JP Nadda had also paid his last respects to the leader at his residence on Friday evening. He also placed a wreath on behalf of Prime Minister Narendra Modi paying homage to Yechury.
Nadda took to X and said that Yechury believed in "agreeing to disagree and often said that this is the beauty of democracy".
His body is being taken to the AIIMS, New Delhi. As per his wishes, his body has been donated for research.
Yechury is survived by his wife Seema Chishti and his two children Akhila and Danish. His elder son, Ashish Yechury, passed away due to Covid in 2021. Yechury was earlier married to Indrani Mazumdar.
