Gurpreet Singh

The news of the passing away of the towering leader of India’s Marxist Communist Party came as a personal shock.

I had known Comrade Sitaram Yechury, and had an opportunity to spend some valuable moments with him.

He died at the age of 72, following an illness, leaving behind a rich legacy of his tireless commitment towards a secular India.

He had visited Vancouver a few times, to attend events hosted by the Indo-Canadian Workers’ Association. I had a long chat with him on a range of issues, and learnt a lot about threats and challenges facing the left movement in India.

He often used to say that the majority is not always right, in the context of the growing power of Hindu supremacy under current Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He saw him coming, before 2014, when Modi got elected as leader of the world’s so-called largest democracy. He used to remind people that the majority in Germany also committed a similar mistake by choosing Hitler as their leader.

Such candid and unpopular statements need courage and conviction, and Yechury had both.

On another occasion, when Hindu chauvinist leader Bal Thackrey, died, the Indian parliament passed a condolence motion and gave him the state honour. But Yechury opposed it vehemently in the face of threats from Thackrey's supporters.

During COVID 19, when his son died, I called him to pay my condolences. Within a minute, he changed the course of our conversation to the pitiable situation of the poor who weren’t able to get oxygen cylinders because of mismanagement by Modi's government. More than his personal tragedy, he was worried about the people on the street. This small episode continues to sit with me and defines Yechury as a statesman.

He came under constant attack from the followers of Modi for speaking out the truth. He wasn’t spared either when the family was grieving the loss of their loved one. They mocked him for being a supporter of Communist China, which was being blamed for COVID 19 by the right wing forces all over the world.

His demise comes at a time when majoritarianism is on the rise and secularists are fighting hard to recapture their space in Indian politics. He has left a vacuum which cannot be filled easily.