‘Yechury saw BJP and RSS as danger to the country’: Rahul Gandhi

NEW DELHI: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, while speaking at a condolence meeting for late CPM leader Sitaram Yechury recalled Yechury’s concerns about the state of the country under BJP and RSS.

Rahul Gandhi said whenever Yechury discussed the BJP and RSS, it wasn’t about specific actions, but rather a broader warning. Rahul said, “Whenever he would speak to me about the BJP and RSS, he would not say that they were doing this and that, he would say that look, this is a danger to the country. What they are doing to our institutions, what they are doing to our structure, what they are doing to our education system is going to destroy India.”

Rahul Gandhi paid a heartfelt tribute to Yechury, whom he described as a man of great integrity and conviction. “He was a person you could trust, someone you were 100% sure wasn’t compromised in today’s political environment. Whatever he did, he always did it in the interest of the country. Maybe my brothers on the Left might not like it, but every time his starting point was India, and after that came his political ideology and convictions,” said Gandhi.

Gandhi further reminisced about his long association with Yechury, noting how despite their ideological differences, Yechury had a unique ability to understand opposing viewpoints. “I observed him carefully, and what I found was a person who was flexible, who listened, and despite being on the opposite end of the ideological spectrum, he had the ability to understand where we were coming from. He also allowed us to understand where he was coming from,” Gandhi noted, calling Yechury a “bridge” between the Congress party and other parties in the INDIA alliance.

The Congress leader emphasised Yechury’s behind-the-scenes role in keeping political alliances intact. “There are people who are visible and upfront, and then there is the glue that holds the structure together. Sitaram Yechury was that glue,” he said, referring to Yechury’s role in the INDIA and UPA coalitions.

On a personal note, Rahul Gandhi shared memories of Yechury’s habit of smoking cigarettes, something Yechury was never able to quit. “I always noticed how stress was countered with a cigarette, and I used to tell him, ‘Yechury Ji, why don’t you get rid of this?’ That, I think, was the only habit he couldn’t let go of,” Gandhi said with a smile.

In an emotional moment, Gandhi recounted Yechury’s reluctance to go to the hospital during their last meeting. “That was the last time I saw my friend,” he said, recalling how he had insisted Yechury go to the hospital after observing him cough.

Rahul Gandhi also reflected on the profound loss Yechury endured when his son passed away. He admitted that during their conversation, he was left speechless, unsure of what to say. “I called him, but I didn’t know what to say. When I met him a few days later, the same tough, brave Yechury Ji was back,” Gandhi said.

Courtesy : TOI

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