Keep fit, take the stairs

The talk is the party, which has few young members, needs to keep its present crop of leaders fit and healthy

The national headquarters of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) at A K G Bhavan in New Delhi’s Gole Market area is fitted with an elevator. It is a three-storey building with a basement and the lift assists the party’s ageing leadership to reach the top floors without the exertion of taking the stairs. However, the lift has not been functioning for nearly a month. So the likes of party chief Sitaram Yechury, politburo members Prakash Karat, Brinda Karat, Subhashini Ali and S Ramachandran Pillai have to use the stairs. Pillai is 79, Ali a couple of months shy of