Due to whose opposition Indira had to resign, how did that Yechury become Rahul Gandhi’s ‘Guru’

Sitaram Yechuri News: Sitaram Yechury, who influenced leftist politics in India for about 45 years, is no longer among us. In student politics, he opened a front against Indira Gandhi. Due to his opposition, Indira had to resign from the post of JNU Chancellor. However, later he did not even shy away from alliance with Congress. His good bonding was seen with Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi.

Reported by Saugata Roy | Edited by Ruchir Shukla

• CPM leader Sitaram Yechury dies at the age of 72
• Was once an opponent of Congress, then did not shy away from joining it
• Yechury opened a front, Indira Gandhi had to resign from the post of JNU Chancellor

New Delhi: Veteran communist leader and CPM general secretary Sitaram Yechury is no longer in this world. He died on 12 September at the age of 72. Politically, Yechury was a staunch communist, however, in politics he always gave priority to pragmatism. This is the reason why at one time he took out such a protest march against Indira Gandhi that she was forced to resign. However, when the political situation changed, this veteran communist leader did not hesitate to become Rahul Gandhi’s ‘mentor’. CPM leader Yechury, like many pragmatic politicians of his generation, was humble and friendly, and had good relations with leaders of all parties.

Once an opponent of Congress, later did not avoid alliance

After the rise of BJP and the formation of Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s government at the Center, Sitaram Yechury was one of the few CPM leaders who avoided ideological debate on alliance with Congress. His thinking was only that BJP could be strongly countered. Although Congress was earlier considered the main opponent of the Communists, Yechury considered an alliance with them necessary to challenge the BJP. Even during the 2024 general elections, he insisted that the Narendra Modi-led BJP should be countered through state-by-state alliances. The election results proved his thinking right to some extent.

When Indira Gandhi was forced to resign from the post of JNU Chancellor

The interesting thing is that even today the hardline leaders of CPM do not formally accept the party’s alliance with Congress. This is the situation when CPM itself is a part of the ‘INDIA’ alliance. As a student leader, Yechury had forced Indira Gandhi to resign from the post of Chancellor of JNU. His later adoption of a practical approach to politics makes this incident even more important. Keeping himself away from Naxalism in the 1970s also reflects Yechury’s practical political understanding. The Naxalite movement was a branch of Marxist ideology, which declared allegiance to the Communists of China. In 2014, when Modi became the Prime Minister for the first time, Yechury had said that the circumstances have changed, so it is necessary to change our analysis and alliance as well.

Yechury was extremely sociable and simple in nature

Some people compare him to another pragmatic communist leader, Harkishan Singh Surjeet, who was adept at building alliances. But it is important to note that a major reason for the difference in the success rate of the two leaders is that the CPM was in a much stronger position politically during Surjeet’s time. Yechury’s sociable and simple nature was not artificial. Even as a student activist, he was not a domineering or big-mouthed leader. He loved to engage in debates, and put forth his point in a witty manner. Many politicians, including communists, are fond of giving speeches. Yechury was never like that.

English in party forum but Hindi preferred in everyday conversation

Another special feature was that unlike many of his Marxist colleagues, he did not use difficult language. Also, unlike theoretical Marxists, he was interested not only in a class but also in social groups and religion. He understood that both these aspects were important to understand Indian society. Telugu was his mother tongue. In party forums and meetings, he preferred English because he felt it was easier for him to express political ideas in this language. But he used to give speeches in Hindi in public. During his two terms in the Rajya Sabha from West Bengal, he tried to speak in Bengali during conversations with Bengali journalists.

Created an identity as an open-minded leader

Born in a Telugu Brahmin family, Sitaram Yechury refused to wear the sacred thread and recite shlokas. He said that he was the first communist in his family. But he never denied the philosophical debates hidden in ancient religious texts. This open-mindedness later helped him debate the Hindutva ideology. Those who knew him say that one of Yechury’s characteristics as a politician was that he was more interested in finding similarities rather than differences between parties and groups.

Yechury’s Rajya Sabha term ended in 2017

These qualities of Yechury came in handy in Parliament, where his good eloquence gave him a distinct identity. Especially at a time when the quality of parliamentary interventions was declining. When his Rajya Sabha term ended in 2017, Samajwadi Party MP Ram Gopal Yadav praised him. He was not alone, many other MPs also felt that the House would miss Yechury. As the support base of the Left diminished, the importance of CPM leaders including Yechury in national politics also decreased. His golden period is considered to be between 2004 and 2008. From the formation of the first United Progressive Alliance (UPA-1) government to the time when the CPM withdrew support from the Manmohan Singh government on the Indo-US nuclear deal.

Did not shy away from admitting his mistakes

It is difficult for Indian politicians, including communists, to introspect publicly. But Yechury was completely different. After the formation of the UPA-2 government, he admitted that his party had not been able to convince the voters of its stand on the nuclear deal. This is why the Congress-led coalition won a landslide victory. He was perhaps the only member of the Politburo to do so. The victory of the Trinamool Congress (TMC) in Bengal dealt a blow to the CPM and its leaders, from which they have not yet recovered.

Yechury was devastated by the death of his son

Yechury’s last public message came on the day he was shifted from the ICU to the general ward at AIIMS in Delhi. This recorded message was his tribute to another communist leader and former Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharya, who passed away recently. Before falling ill, Yechury was battling a deep personal grief. He lost his son Ashish to Covid in 2021. According to those close to him, he was never the same after that. As a father, he was devastated. But it is a testament to his abilities as a politician that he picked himself up as a pragmatic communist and kept moving forward.

Courtesy : Hindi News