Indian communist leader Sitaram Yechury dies

Kathmandu: The leader of the general secretary of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) or CPI (M) Sitaram Yechury has died at the age of 72.

According to the BBC, Yechury was being treated for an acute respiratory tract infection and had been admitted to a Delhi hospital on August 19.

Yechury’s party is the largest communist political party in India. He was a prominent leader in India’s politics over several decades.

Several politicians including main opposition leader Rahul Gandhi and former rival Mamata Banerjee have paid their tributes.

Yechury started his political career as a student leader with the left-wing Student Federation of India. He was arrested in 1975 when the Congress government led by Indira Gandhi imposed an Emergency that saw widespread curtailment of civil liberties.

In 1996, he played a leading role in forming a coalition of 13 parties, which governed India for nearly two years with two prime ministers – HD Deve Gowda and IK Gujral – sharing the tenure. In 2004, his party won a historic 44 seats in the 2004 parliamentary election.

Yechury was a member of the Rajya Sabha, or the upper house of parliament, from 2005 to 2017.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, with whom Yechury shared a warm relationship, called him a “friend” while paying his tribute.