Hundreds of CPM workers, students of JNU, Delhi University, academics, journalists, intellectuals his colleagues, family members, from fraternity and leaders of all political parties including ambassadors of several communist countries visited the CPM office , AKG Bhawan and paid their respectful tributes to 72 years old general secretary of CPM Comrade Sitaram Yechury whose body was wrapped in red flag and flowers, kept at the party office for public viewing and paying of tributes. Chanting red salute to Comrade Sitaram Yechury raising slogans like Comrade Sitaram Yechury Amar Rahe etc hundreds of workers, leaders and supporters chanting slogans carrying the red CPM flags and wearing red shirt marched about two kilometres distance up to Party office. After the public viewing his dead body will be sent back to All India Institute of medical Sciences to be handed over to the hospital authorities as the anguished family of Comrade Sitaram Yechury has already while honouring his last wish principally accepted giving the body for teaching and research purposes to the budding doctors and surgeons.
A press release was issued by AIIMS authorities in this regard yesterday. According to the latest news several leaders of I.N.D.I. A including former Congress chief Sonia Gandhi, Sharad Pawar, NCP chief, former UP CM amd Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav, Congress leaders Mani Shankar Aiyer, Sachin Pilot, former Rajasthan deputy CM, Ramesh Chennithala, senior Congress leader, DMK leader and CM TN Udaynidhi Stalin, T. R.Baalu, Dayanidhi Maaran, RJD MP Manoj Jha, Aam Admi Party leaders, Manish Sisodia, MP Sanjay Singh, Raghav Chandra, MP, minister, Delhi Gopal Rai, General Secretary of CPI D.Raja, Party leader Anne Raja, CPI, Dipankar Bhattacharya, CPI( MLA) liberation general secretary, etc paid their tributes to Comrade Yechury. The former general secretary of CPM Prakash Karat, his wife and former MP Brinda Karat, Pinarayi Vijayanan, MA Baby, Sunilan etc paid their tributes to their five decades old comrade by raising their fist giving final adieu with slogans Red Salute.
The Congress parliamentary Party leader Sonia Gandhi arrived at the CPM office alongwith Jairam Ramesh and Rajiv Shukla and laid the wrath paying her respectful tributes.
Meanwhile an old friend of Sitaram Yechury who studied in JNU when Comrade Sitaram Yechury was elected as JNU president former IPS and retired DGP Kerala police Kundan Singh Jangpangi while paying his respectful tributes reminiscenced his past days of JNU and wrote : Comrade Sitaram Yechury is no more. He was simply and affectionately Sita for his comrades and friends. I had known him since the JNU days. He was the JNUSU president in our JNU period. He was an affable and friendly person. Whenever we think of Sita his ever smiling face comes to mind. He was quite jovial also. I was like many others close to him during the JNU days. After leaving JNU we hardly met and had practically no contacts. But whenever we met there was a simple smile and hello. I am deliberately desisting from commenting on his politics and political activities. But he belonged to the generation of most honest, upright and committed communist leaders of time. My homage and tribute to Sita and heartfelt condolences to his family members and CPM comrades. We all have to leave this world one day but he left early. Adieu Sita. Be in peace forever. We have lost a great human being and selfless committed political leaders. Loss is of the nation, CPM and toiling masses of this country. Om Shanti!
According to “The Hindu” Chinese Ambassador Xu Feihong, Vietnam Ambassador Nguyen Thanh Hai, Palestinian Ambassador Adnan Abu Alhaija and former Nepal PM Madhav Kumar Nepal also came to express their condolences.
A host of academic luminaries, including historian Romila Thapar, visited the party headquarters as did several members of civil society. A long queue of visitors waited patiently in Delhi’s humid weather to catch one glimpse of the departed leader.
