Sitaram Yechury is 'critical', in ICU on respiratory support, says CPI(M)

The 72-year-old politician is being treated for a severe respiratory infection in AIIMS' ICU; the party said a team of doctors is closely observing CPI (M) leader Sitaram Yechury's condition

The general secretary of the CPI (M), Sitaram Yechury is in critical condition and is being given respiratory support at AIIMS in New Delhi, the party informed on Tuesday.

The 72-year-old politician is being treated for a severe respiratory infection in the hospital’s ICU. The party added that a team of doctors is closely observing Yechury’s condition.

He was hospitalised at AIIMS on August 19 to receive treatment for a chest infection resembling pneumonia.

In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Communist Party of India (Marxist) said, “Comrade Sitaram Yechury, General Secretary of Communist Party of India (Marxist), is in the intensive care unit of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, being treated for an acute respiratory tract infection.”
 

The party’s statement added, “He is on respiratory support. A multi-disciplinary team of doctors is closely monitoring his condition, which is critical at this time.” Yechury has recently had cataract surgery.

On August 22, Yechury posted a six-minute video on his social media accounts from the hospital, expressing his condolences to former West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadev Bhattacharya.

Sitaram Yechury became a member of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) in 1975, shortly after joining the Students’ Federation of India (SFI) in 1974. During the Emergency period, while still a student at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), Yechury was detained. He also served as the president of the JNU Students’ Union on three separate occasions between 1977 and 1988.

Alongside Prakash Karat, Yechury played a significant role in bolstering the leftist influence at JNU. At 72, he is noted for continuing the coalition-building efforts established by former general secretary Harkishan Singh Surjeet.