NEW DELHI: Leaders from various political parties, diplomats, and party volunteers gathered on Saturday at the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPM) headquarters in New Delhi to pay their final respects to the party’s general secretary, Sitaram Yechury. He was remembered as a person with a ‘deep’ understanding of national issues and a ‘pivot and binding force for opposition parties’. His mortal remains were brought to the headquarters amidst chants of ‘Lal Salam’ from his residence in the morning.CPM leaders, including polit bureau members Prakash Karat, Brinda Karat, Pinarayi Vijayan, and M.A. Baby, were present alongside Congress Parliamentary Party Chairperson Sonia Gandhi, NCP (SP) President Sharad Pawar, Samajwadi Party Chief Akhilesh Yadav, RJD MP Manoj Jha, and other party representatives, who paid their last respects to the veteran leader. Yechury passed away on Thursday after a brief illness. He had been undergoing treatment for an acute respiratory tract infection at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Delhi for about two weeks.Speaking to the media, former Deputy Chief Minister of Delhi, Manish Sisodia, said, “He had a deep understanding of national issues and solutions, and he was someone who could bring together those who could implement these solutions.”Among the diplomats who paid tribute were the Ambassadors of China, Xu Feihong; Vietnam, Nguyen Thanh Hai; Palestine, Adnan Abu Alhaija; and former Prime Minister of Nepal, Madhav Kumar Nepal.Former Union Minister and Congress leader, Sachin Pilot, took to ‘X’ after his visit to the CPM office, stating: “Sitaram ji was a political activist with a heart. Strong in his convictions but open to ideas from friends and colleagues. His steadfast commitment to equality, justice and social reform will always be cherished.”A senior delegation from DMK comprising of Udhayanidhi Stalin, TR Baalu, Dayanidhi Maran and Kanimozhi also expressed condolences to the family of CPM veteran.”Comrade Yechury’s untiring service to the empowerment of the working class and his spirited fight against fascist forces will forever remain etched in the hearts of our people,” tweeted Udhayanidhi Stalin, after paying tribute.”His loss is not just a political one. He was a thinker, a writer, a philosopher, and also a great inspiration to the next generation of politicians… He was one leader who was loved and respected by all across party lines… He was very close to my father Kalaignar and also to our leader MK Stalin,” said DMK MP Kanimozhi.The Communist Party of India (CPI) leaders D Raja and Annie Raja also reached AK Gopalan Bhavan to condole.Noted professor of modern political history, S. Irfan Habib, commented, “The Left may not be as strong as it used to be, but Comrade Yechury was a pivot and a binding force for opposition politics. A role he had been successfully playing for quite a few years.”Later in the evening, Yechury’s body was donated to AIIMS for medical research in the presence of his family members and the polit bureau.
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