The Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI(M)) and its leaders in Tripura have expressed profound grief over the sudden death of Sitaram Yechury, the party’s All-India General Secretary. The unexpected demise of Yechury has been described as a major loss not only for the CPI(M) but also for the broader Left movement in India. CPI(M) Politburo member Manik Sarkar and State Party Secretary Jitendra Choudhury have called for renewed efforts to strengthen and intensify the party’s activities by uniting Left, secular, and democratic forces.
“To truly honor Yechury’s legacy, we must consolidate the Party, the Left Front, and secular-democratic platforms, and initiate a larger mass movement against the adversaries of the common people,” they stated.
Yechury, who was 72, passed away on Thursday at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in New Delhi after a prolonged battle with a respiratory tract infection. His death marks the end of a significant chapter in the CPI(M)’s history, leaving a void that will be hard to fill.
Reflecting on Yechury’s passing, Manik Sarkar, a prominent Left leader and CPI(M) Politburo member, recounted his long and impactful political journey. Sarkar noted that Yechury was celebrated for his approachable demeanour and ability to unite diverse political voices. “He was one of the most recognizable faces of the Left in recent years,” Sarkar remarked. Stressing the need for a more vigorous mass movement, Sarkar highlighted that Yechury’s untimely death is a tremendous loss to the Left movement. “Yechury has been our party’s general secretary for the last nine years. His passing is undoubtedly a major blow, not just to our CPI(M), but to the Left movement as a whole,” Sarkar added. He underscored that Left, democratic, and secular forces would feel a profound void in their struggle moving forward.
Jitendra Choudhury, the CPI(M) state secretary, also paid tribute to Sitaram Yechury, recalling his substantial contributions to the party’s work in Tripura. Choudhury noted that Yechury played a key role in mobilizing students and youth, thereby intensifying their movements in the state.
Emphasizing the challenges ahead, Choudhury called for a concerted effort to broaden the scope of mass movements aimed at people’s welfare. “The need of the hour is to consolidate and expand the ambit of our movement, ensuring that the struggles for justice and equity continue,” he said.
Both leaders stressed that Yechury’s memory would be best honored through a collective effort to strengthen the Left movement and counter the forces they perceived as working against the interests of the common people.
(Tripura, Tripura News)
