Tributes paid to Sitaram Yechury at CPI (M) headquarters in Delhi

New Delhi, Sep 14 (PTI) Rich tributes were on Saturday paid to veteran Marxist leader and CPI (M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury at the party headquarters AKG Bhavan here, where his mortal remains were brought amidst chants of 'Lal Salam' from his residence this morning.

Wrapped in the red flag of the CPI (M), Yechury's mortal remains were kept at the party office, where party leaders, including polit bureau members Prakash Karat, Brinda Karat, Pinarayi Vijayan and M A Baby, and others paid their tributes to the leader.

Congress Parliamentary Party Chairperson Sonia Gandhi also reached the AKG Bhavan along with the other party leaders to pay her last respects to Yechury.

He was the first non-Congress leader Gandhi called after she met then president Dr APJ Abdul Kalam in 2004 when she turned down the prime minister's post and rallied for Dr Manmohan Singh, an equation that survived the shock withdrawal of support by the Left to the UPA in 2008 over the Indo-US nuclear deal.

Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leaders Manish Sisodia and Sanjay Singh also paid their last respects to the departed soul at the CPI (M) headquarters. NCP (SP) president Sharad Pawar and RJD MP Manoj Jha as well paid homage to Yechury.

The CPI(M) general secretary died on Thursday at a hospital here after battling a lung infection.

Yechury, 72, was in a critical condition for the last few days and on respiratory support while undergoing treatment for an acute respiratory tract infection at the ICU in the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS). He was admitted to the hospital on August 19.

On Friday, Yechury's body was taken to the Jawaharlal Nehru University from the AIIMS where hundreds of students and faculty members paid their last respects to him.

As a student at the JNU, Yechury was a part of the Students Federation of India (SFI), which he joined in 1974 and was arrested a few months later during the Emergency. He served as the president of the Jawaharlal Nehru University Students Union (JNUSU) thrice during 1977-78.

Later, the body was taken to his residence, where senior CPI(M) leaders paid tributes to their comrade.

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president JP Nadda had also paid his last respects to the leader at his residence on Friday evening. He also placed a wreath on behalf of Prime Minister Narendra Modi paying homage to Yechury.

Later today, his body will be taken to the AIIMS and donated for research.

Yechury is survived by his wife Seema Chishti and his two children Akhila and Danish. His elder son, Ashish Yechury, passed away due to Covid in 2021. Yechury was earlier married to Indrani Mazumdar.