Sitaram Yechury, the stalwart leader of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPIM) and a key figure in Indian politics, passed away on September 12, 2024, at the age of 72. Yechury’s life and career, both as a Marxist and a politician, shaped the Indian political landscape, and one can quite clearly and unambiguously say that he truly was one of the greatest Marxist leaders of our times.
Born in Kakinada, Andhra Pradesh, on August 12, 1947, to an engineer father and a government employee mother, Yechury’s political journey began at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) in Delhi. The Telangana agitation of 1969 brought him to Delhi for higher studies, where he soon became deeply involved in student politics. His activism during the Emergency (1975-77) led him to go underground and forced him to abandon his PhD studies midway. He was later arrested, a testament to his unwavering dedication to his cause.
Yechury’s early involvement in student politics was marked by significant achievements. As a member of the Students' Federation of India (SFI) and President of the JNU Students' Union three times, he was instrumental in mobilising student protests. One of the most notable moments of his career was in 1978, when a protest led by Yechury contributed to the resignation of Indira Gandhi as Chancellor of JNU. An iconic photograph from that period captures Yechury reading out a chargesheet against Gandhi, with the latter looking out with an amused expression on her face.
Over the course of his fifty-year political career, Yechury demonstrated a consistent ideological commitment to Marxism-Leninism. He fought against the Emergency imposed by Indira Gandhi and later, against rising tide of communal forces.
But, it was his tenure as General Secretary of the CPIM from 2015 to 2022, that would, perhaps, be remembered and debated. This tenure was marked by efforts to what he saw as a changing political landscape, which required one to adapt and mould one's strict Marxist views to the contemporary political realities while maintaining its ideological core.
Yechury’s approach to electoral strategy was notably pragmatic. He advocated for flexible alliances with non-communist parties to counter the influence of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and improve electoral prospects. This stance was in contrast to his predecessor Prakash Karat’s rigid adherence to ideological purity, which resisted forming alliances that might dilute the party’s Marxist principles.
In his interactions with the United Progressive Alliance (UPA), Yechury adopted a more conciliatory approach, engaging with the coalition to address national issues. This was at odds with Karat’s more confrontational stance, which critiqued the UPA’s economic and foreign policies and maintained a more rigid opposition.
In fact, it is this conciliatory approach towards Congress that brought Yechury closer to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, over their shared beliefs centering on social justice.
Yechury’s vision for the CPIM involved modernising the party and broadening its appeal beyond its traditional base. This vision sometimes clashed with Karat’s emphasis on preserving traditional Marxist approaches and resisting shifts that might move the party away from its core ideology.
Despite differences in strategy and policy with that of the orthodox Left, Yechury’s contributions to Indian politics remain significant. His ability to navigate complex political landscapes while staying true to his principles defined his legacy. Yechury’s passing marks the end of an era for the CPIM and it remains to be seen in which course will the party steer to, as new political challenges mount with every passing day.