CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury passed away on Thursday. He was undergoing treatment at All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi for acute respiratory tract infection. He was 72-years old.
Yechury is survived by his wife Seema Chishti, a son and a daughter. His elder son Ashish Yechury succumbed to COVID-19 in 2021. “Sitaram Yechury CPI(M) general secretary no more. He was admitted in AIIMS,” CPI(M) leader Hannan Mollah told ANI.
Yechury was admitted to AIIMS on August 19 for treatment of pneumonia-like chest infection. He was admitted in the intensive care unit and was treated by a multi-disciplinary team of doctors.
His last appearance was in the form of a video recorded from the hospital where he paid tribute to fellow comrade and former West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, who passed away last month. Yechury couldn’t take part in the funeral.
He released a six-minute video from the hospital on August 22 on his social media accounts paying condolence to former Chief Minister of West Bengal, Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee. “It’s my loss that I was not able to physically attend this memorial meeting and pay my homage to Com. Buddhadev Bhattacharya,” he wrote on X.
Yechury has been CPI(M)‘s general secretary since 2015 and was re-elected twice in 2018 and 2022. He has been a member of the party’s Polit Bureau for over three decades. His entry into CPI(M) was natural after his association with the CPI(M)‘s student wing Student Federation of India (SFI). He made a name for himself as JNU students union president for forcing Indira Gandhi to resign as the chancellor.
He became the national president of the organisation and was later invited to the Central Committee of the CPI(M) in 1984 and was made a member of it in the 12th Party Congress of the CPI(M) held in Kolkata in 1985.
An ardent advocate of coalition politics, Yechury quoted Leon Trotsky’s words “march separately but strike together” to underline the importance of a united Opposition to counter the ruling forces. He worked on the common minimum programme for the United Front government in 1996 and for the UPA Governments in 2004 and 2009. And he was also a key agent in bringing the Opposition parties closer ahead of 2019 General Elections and formation of INDIA bloc in 2023.
A two-time Rajya Sabha member, Yechury will be remembered for moving a motion against President Pranab Mukherjee’s address in 2015, which was passed by the Upper House, causing a major embarrassment to the ruling Narendra Modi Government. Only four times in the history of the Rajya Sabha, an Opposition-moved amendment had been passed.
Row over PM Modi attending Ganpati Puja celebrations at CJI’s residence: BJP slams opposition
With a row erupting over Prime Minister Narendra Modi attending the Ganpati Puja celebrations at Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud’s residence, the BJP and its ally hit out at the opposition parties, calling their reactions “reckless” and said casting “baseless aspersions” on the highest court sets a dangerous precedent.
Prime Minister Modi on Wednesday participated in the Ganpati Puja at the CJI’s residence in New Delhi. In a video, Chandrachud and his wife Kalpana Das were seen welcoming Modi at their house.
Several opposition leaders and some lawyers of the Supreme Court reacted sharply to Modi attending the puja at the CJI’s residence. “Ganpati Utsav is being celebrated and people visit each other’s house... I don’t have information whether the prime minister has visited anyone’s house,” Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut said. “Ganpati Utsav is being celebrated at several locations in Delhi and at Maharashtra Sadan,” he said.
“However, the prime minister visited the CJI’s residence. They performed ‘aarti’ together. We think that people will have doubts if guardians of the Constitution meet political leaders,” Raut added.
In a post on X, senior lawyer Indira Jaising said the Chief Justice of India has compromised the separation of powers between the executive and the judiciary.
“Lost all confidence in the independence of the CJI. The SCBA (Supreme Court Bar Association) must condemn this publicly displayed compromise of Independence of the CJI from the executive,” she said in her post.
Hitting back, BJP national general secretary (Organisation) BL Santhosh said though left liberals have started crying over the Prime Minister attending the event at the CJI’s residence, “it was not socialising but a devoted Ganapathi Pooja”.
Shiv Sena Rajya Sabha MP Milind Deora also flayed the critics and said it’s unfortunate to see “reckless commentary” on Prime Minister Modi’s visit to the CJI’s residence for Ganapati Aarti. “When verdicts favour them, the opposition praises the Supreme Court’s credibility, but when things don’t go their way, they conveniently claim the judiciary is compromised,” he charged in a post on X.
Police arrest two in connection with assault on Army officer, his friend in Madhya Pradesh
“The police have arrested two people in connection with the assault on a young Army officer and his friend,” a police officer said.
A young Army officer of the Military Headquarters of Warfare (Mhow) Infantry School, along with his friend, was assaulted by 7-8 unknown assailants, and one of their two female friends was allegedly sexually assaulted, states the FIR.
Indore Rural Superintendent of Police (SP) Hitika Vasal told ANI that 10 police teams conducted investigations and identified six accused. Two of them have been arrested, and efforts are underway to arrest the remaining four. “10 police teams carried out investigations and police identified six named accused. Two of them have been arrested. Efforts are underway to nab the remaining four; they will be caught at the earliest,” she told ANI.
SP Hitika Vasal toldthat the incident occurred at the Army firing range in Indore on Wednesday. SP Vasal also said that the complainant said that their female friend was taken to a corner and they heard her screams, which made them suspect that something untoward had happened to her.
”Police received information yesterday that four people visited Army firing range late at night. An incident of two people being thrashed occurred there. The two others were told to bring ₹10 lakhs. The complainant said that their female friend was taken to a corner and then he heard her screams. The complainant suspects that something untoward must have happened to her. A police team reached the spot immediately, and upon spotting them, the accused escaped,” she said.
SP Vasal stated that the women’s statements have not yet been recorded. Once recorded, further action will be taken.
Mamata says ready to resign for sake of Bengal people
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday (September 12, 2024) offered to resign “for the sake of people” and said she also wants justice for the murdered RG Kar hospital doctor.
“I apologise to the people of Bengal who expected an end to the R.G. Kar impasse today. They (junior doctors) came to Nabanna but did not sit for the meeting. I request them to go back to work,” Ms. Banerjee told a press conference.
“I am ready to resign for the sake of the people as, despite my best intentions and efforts in the last three days, the medics declined to hold talks,” the Chief Minister said.
Meanwhile, thousands of junior doctors continued their protest outside Swasthya Bhavan, the headquarters of the Health Department. The sit-in have surpassed nearly 48 hours now.
They have demanded the suspension of top heath officials and police officials who were involved in “evidence tampering” and who tried to deliberately suppress the incident of rape and murder of the junior doctor. The junior doctors demanded an end to “threat culture” practised by ruling party in every medical colleges.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer outlines ‘Reform or die’ plan for National Health Service
U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer has said the country’s National Health Service (NHS) needs to “reform or die” following a damning report on the state of Britain’s free healthcare system.
“We know working people can’t afford to pay more, so it’s reform or die,” Starmer said during a speech on Thursday.
The remarks followed the publication of a government commissioned report, authored by former U.K. Health Secretary and doctor, Ara Darzi, which said that the NHS was in “critical condition” although its “vital signs” were strong.
The report cites 14,000 additional deaths per year owing to the state of the healthcare system, long wait times, “crumbling buildings” and mental health patients being housed in “Victorian-era cells infested with vermin”. A lack of capital investment during the 2010s, when the Conservative government was in power, as well as the impact of the pandemic were contributing factors to the current situation, as per the report.
Describing the state of the NHS as “devastating, heartbreaking, infuriating”, Starmer said there would be no extra funding for the system without reform, as he outlined a ten year reform period centred on three thematic changes. Starmer said the NHS would shift to greater digitisation, preventative medicine and more community-based – rather than hospital-based – care for patients.
The NHS is a significant employer of foreigners, with Indians leading the list. A total of 60,533 Indian citizens were employed by the service as per the U.K. government data from June 2023.
In Brief:
Doval meets Putin in St. Petersburg
National Security Advisor Ajit Doval on Thursday met Russian President Vladimir Putin amid renewed efforts to find a solution to the Ukraine conflict. The meeting took place on the margins of a conclave of national security advisors of the BRICS (Brazil-Russia-India-China-South Africa) nations in St. Petersburg. During the talks, Putin expressed hope that Prime Minister Narendra Modi would travel to Russia’s Kazan next month to attend the annual BRICS summit. The Russian President also proposed a bilateral meeting with Modi on October 22 on the sidelines of the BRICS summit to analyse bilateral engagement and to discuss “future-oriented” actions.
Indian-origin Israeli soldier killed amid escalating tensions in West Bank
A 24-year-old Indian-origin Israeli soldier from the Bnei Menashe community was killed in a vehicle-ramming attack close to the West Bank’s Beit El settlement, community members said on Thursday. Staff Sergeant Geri Gideon Hanghal was a resident of Nof HaGalil and a soldier in the Kfir Brigade’s Nahshon Battalion, the Israeli Army said. Hanghal immigrated to Israel from the northeastern part of India in 2020. Some 300 Bnei Menashe youngsters are said to be doing Army duty during the current war, most of them serving in combat units. The Bnei Menashe, hailing from India’s north-eastern states of Manipur and Mizoram, are believed to have descended from the Israelite tribe of Menasseh, one of the “lost tribes” of ancient times.
Evening Wrap will return tomorrow.
Published - September 12, 2024 09:12 pm IST
