Sitaram Yechury: An Ordinary Person with an Extraordinary Legacy in Indian Politics

Amalendu Upadhyaya
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Sitaram Yechury: A Champion of India's Diversity and Secularism


Sitaram Yechury’s Political Legacy and Relevance in Modern India


The Fight Against Communalism: Yechury's Critique of Hindutva Ideology


Sitaram Yechury, a prominent communist leader, left a lasting mark on Indian politics. From leading student movements to uniting opposition forces, his contributions to the defence of India's diversity and Constitution remain unparalleled.
Comrade Sitaram Yechury : An Ordinary person with an extraordinary personality



Sitaram Yechury: An Ordinary person with an extraordinary personality


by Sanjay Parate

It has been a month since Comrade Sitaram Yechury passed away. After his death, his admirers have said a lot about his personality and his relevance in current politics, while the Sanghi gang has also launched its hate attacks on him. There was nothing new in these attacks considering the class politics to which Sitaram belonged. These attacks are a symbol of the liveliness of left politics.

Sitaram represented that generation after the independence of the country, whose left education was done under the guidance of eminent communist leaders and freedom fighters like EMS Namboodiripad, Harkishan Singh Surjeet and M Basavapunnaiya. Each of them has inspiring incidents associated with the freedom movement. EMS Namboodiripad is considered the Gandhi of Kerala, who was transformed from a Congressman to a communist. He has an unforgettable contribution in such a high position that modern Kerala stands at today on human development indicators. Surjeet had a history of fighting against the British and the anti-betterment levy movement, while Basavapunnaiya was the hero of the armed Telangana movement. Communists have no equal in fighting for the interests of the common people before and after independence. The contribution of the left in shaping the present India can not be denied.

From Student Leader to Political Statesman: Yechury’s Journey


As a brilliant student, during his studies, Sitaram came to Delhi and joined left politics through the Students' Federation of India (SFI). The slogan of SFI is -- study and struggle together. Study -- of all the subjects of knowledge and science including its academic curriculum, which work to mold the consciousness of man into a scientific consciousness for the progress of human society. Struggle -- fight against the education policy and anti-people policies of the government, which accelerates the movement to transform an exploited society suffering from class exploitation into an exploitation-free society. Sitaram followed this slogan of SFI throughout his life. The implementation of this slogan established him as a struggling leader among the student community and he was elected President of Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) three times in a row. His association with JNU continued till the end. There was no student union election of JNU in which he was not invited to address the student community. He had such a strong bond with JNU that after his death, his mortal remains rested for a while in the campus of this university and the entire student community gave him its last salute. It was under his leadership that SFI first gave the slogan of 'Education for all, employment for all', which later became a weapon to develop the student-youth movement in the country.

Leading the Student Struggle: Sitaram Yechury's Role in SFI and JNU

In 1984, the All India Conference of SFI was held in Dum Dum (West Bengal). In this conference, he was elected the National President of SFI. I too had participated in this conference as a delegate from Madhya Pradesh (Chhattisgarh was not formed then). Utpal Dutt had also addressed that conference. At that time, it was quite exciting for us to see/hear the image on the cinema screen in a live form. Equally exciting was the welcome given to the delegates by the children of Dum Dum by giving them flowers. This conference made my association with the left permanent.

Building a Political Career: From SFI to CPI(M) Leadership


The mouthpiece of SFI is 'Students' Struggle'. It is published in English and Sitaram was its editor then. We, Hindi students, did not know English then, yet we used to wait for its issues. The reason was that its cover page was quite attractive and its content was diverse. We could feel this diversity from its pictures and the titles of the articles. Its craze was also quite outside the student community. This magazine had special articles on science and sports, articles, interviews and mentions of literary contributions of famous people -- from Faiz Ahmed Faiz to Firaq Gorakhpuri and Premchand, from Bertolt Brecht to Peter Brook and from Tagore to Rahul Sankrityayan. Therefore, we could easily sell this magazine among teachers and employees associated with trade unions. I remember that two special issues of Students' Struggle were published under his editorship : one, on the centenary of Marx's death and the other, on the martyrdom of Safdar Hashmi. We sold hundreds of copies of both these issues in Raipur.

While being a leader of SFI, he joined the top leadership of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) - CPI(M). At a very young age, he was included in the Central Committee of CPI-M, then in the Central Secretariat and then in the Polit Bureau. During this period, he worked as a close associate of Comrade Surjeet (he was then the General Secretary of CPI-M). The last period of 19th century was the period of coalition politics in India and Surjeet was considered to be the artist who gave shape to coalition politics.

Sitaram Yechury's Concrete Political Analysis and Marxist Ideals


Understanding India's Diversity and Unity in the Fight Against Hindutva


Lenin said, "Concrete analysis of concrete situations". This was Sitaram's favourite saying and he used to repeat it in almost every meeting and gathering. It was his concrete analysis of the current political situation that established him as an extraordinary statesman. In the case of India, it was his concrete analysis that made him recognize the diversity of India and committed him to the idea of ​​unity in diversity and he strengthened the ​​'Idea of ​​India' in the course of fighting against the ideology of Hindutva. While the Sanghi gang is busy in presenting Indian myths as authentic history, Sitaram's speciality is that he gave a materialistic interpretation of Indian myths on a large scale and he connects this interpretation to the everyday struggles of the common people

Marx's famous statement is: "So far philosophers have interpreted the world in different ways. But the real question is to change it." The last phase of the 20th century was a period of political turmoil. The Soviet Union collapsed. The Babri Masjid was demolished in the country. During this time, policies of liberalization, privatization and globalization were implemented. All these developments presented ideological-political challenges to the Indian left. Sitaram not only interpreted this changing world but also gave directions to change it.

The Legacy of Marxism and the Global Struggle Against Capitalism


In the 1980s, the Soviet Union collapsed and the socialist camp came to an end. This filled the struggling forces of the whole world with despair. The political atmosphere was so depressing that some communist parties even changed their names. At such a time, Sitaram underlined the relevance of Marxism and the crisis of capitalism. When the bourgeois media all over the world was propagating "There is no alternative" (TINA) to capitalism, Sitaram replied - "(SITA) - Socialism is the alternative." He explained in detail that the disintegration of the Soviet Union does not prove the incorrectness of Marxism and socialism, but rather confirms their truth. The disintegration of the Soviet Union was an inevitable result of the wrong implementation of the rules of socialism. Later, his ideological proposition received acceptance in the international communist movement.

The Role of Sitaram Yechury in Defending Constitutional Values


The demolition of Babri Masjid in 1992 and the actions of the BJP coalition government between 1998-2004 brought the real danger of communalism in national politics to the fore. To counter this danger, in 1993 he wrote a small booklet -- "What is Hindu Rashtra?" This booklet was a complete critique of the booklet "We or Our Nationhood Defined" written in 1939 by Sanghi guru Golwarkar. In this booklet, Golwarkar has propounded India as a "Hindu Rashtra" and has described communists, Muslims and Christians as the main threats to the country. This booklet of Golwarkar holds the place of "Gita" among the Sanghi gang. Through his thorough criticism, Sitaram exposed the communal, casteist and fascist sources of the ideology of Hindutva. It is still a mystery for many as to why the Sanghi gang hates minorities so much, or why the Sangh kept away from the freedom struggle and supplied soldiers to the British during the Second World War, or why it wants to establish Manusmriti even today instead of believing in the basic values ​​of the Constitution in independent India. This booklet by Sitaram exposes these secrets of the Sanghi gang. Reading of this booklet by Sitaram also gives the answer as to why the Sanghi gang hates him so much.

Sitaram Yechury was committed to the diversity of India because he believed that India is a multinational country and the unity of the country can not be maintained without protecting its diversity. For him, this was the "Idea of ​​India". If India's diversity has to be protected, then the basic values ​​like sovereignty, democracy, secularism, federalism and social justice included in the Constitution written by Baba Saheb will have to be protected, these values ​​will have to be incorporated in everyday conduct. Today, without protecting this Constitution and constitutional values, the country can not be taken on the path of socialism. Therefore, whenever, from whichever side, the basic values ​​of the Constitution have been attacked, Sitaram's presence used to assure that this attack will be strongly countered.

Sitaram Yechury's Vision for India's Future


In Parliament, Sitaram played the role of an excellent parliamentarian, as is expected of a communist MP. In the year 2016, he was awarded the Best Parliamentarian Award. On the occasion of the 75th anniversary of the Quit India Movement, he brilliantly presented the role played by the Indian communists in the freedom movement and the betrayal of the Sanghi gang in this movement with facts. He also formulated constitutional values in the debate held on the occasion of Constitution Day. When Sitaram spoke inside the Parliament, the entire Parliament listened attentively. Even outside the Parliament, when he spoke, the people of the entire country paid attention to him.

The period of 2004-09 was the golden period of the left, when there were 61 MPs of the left in the Parliament including 43 MPs of CPI-M. Under the pressure of this parliamentary power, the then UPA government had to make laws like MNREGA, Right to Information, Right to Food, Tribal Forest Rights etc. These laws have added new dimensions to the expansion of democracy in the country and protection of the basic rights of the common people. The UPA government was dependent on the support of the left, the basis of its work was the Common Minimum Programme. Almost all political parties have acknowledged the important role of Sitaram Yechury in making this programme and to some extent implementing it.

After the formation of the BJP government under the leadership of Modi in 2014, attacks on the basic values ​​of the Constitution and the livelihood of the common people have intensified. Sitaram's role was important in unifying the opposition to counter these attacks. Whether it was a matter of unifying the opposition against the Land Acquisition Ordinance, or the issue of creating class unity of farmers and labourers in the struggle against the three anti-farmer agricultural laws and the four anti-labour labour codes, Sitaram's role was important. His emphasis was always on transforming mass struggles into class struggles.

A Tribute to Sitaram Yechury: Protecting Democratic Rights and India’s Unity in Diversity


He believed these struggles can strengthen the left and re-establish the left in politics. It was from the womb of these mass struggles and class struggles that the 'India' group was born, which is today giving a direct fight to the communal politics of the BJP. In his last days, he was engaged in developing the politics of this alliance. On 28 September, in a national-level program to pay tribute to him in Delhi, all the parties of India Group have appreciated his contribution and have resolved to fight the communal, fascist politics of BJP-RSS unitedly. Fulfilling this resolution will be a true tribute to him because Comrade Sitaram Yechury's dream was: to defeat communal-fascist politics, to protect the basic values ​​of the Constitution, expand the democratic rights of the common people and to accept the diversity of the country for unity in diversity.

(The author is the Vice President of Chhattisgarh Kisan Sabha, affiliated to All India Kisan Sabha)

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