Lucknow: Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and Samajwadi Party supremo Akhilesh Yadav were among the senior leaders from Uttar Pradesh who condoled the passing of CPI(M) veteran Sitaram Yechury on Thursday.
Yechury passed away at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Delhi following prolonged illness. He was 72.
"The passing of Sitaram Yechury, general secretary of the CPI(M) and former Rajya Sabha MP, is deeply saddening. I pray to Lord Ram that the departed soul may attain salvation and grant the bereaved family the strength to bear this immense grief," Adityanath said in a statement.
Condoling Yechury's passing, Samajwadi Party chief Yadav said in a post on X, "Senior politician and CPI(M) general secretary Shri Sitaram Yechury passed away, very sad! May God rest his soul in peace. May the grieving family get strength to bear this immense sorrow. Heartfelt tribute!" The CPI(M) and the Samajwadi Party are constituents of the INDIA bloc.
Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati also condoled Yechury's demise.
In a post in Hindi on X, she said, "The news of the death of CPI(M) general secretary and former Rajya Sabha MP Shri Sitaram Yechury, a well-known name in the country's politics, during treatment is extremely sad. He was a skilled MP and a sociable person. My deepest condolences to his family and all his loved ones. May God give them all the strength to bear this sorrow." A pragmatic Communist and one of the key architects of coalition politics since the mid-90s, Yechury died after battling lung infection.
He 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 of AIIMS. He was admitted to the hospital on August 19.
In a statement, the CPI(M) said Yechury's body would be kept at the party headquarters in Delhi between 11 am and 3 pm on Saturday for public viewing and paying homage. Subsequently, the body will be taken to AIIMS, where it will be donated for medical research, according to his wishes.