Sitaram Yechury, the general secretary of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI(M)), is currently in critical condition and on respiratory support at AIIMS Delhi, as reported by the party on Tuesday.
The 72-year-old leader is receiving treatment for a severe respiratory infection in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) at AIIMS. A team of specialists is closely monitoring his condition.
Yechury was admitted to AIIMS on August 19 due to a chest infection similar to pneumonia. The hospital has not disclosed further details about his specific condition. Previously, the CPI(M) had indicated that Yechury’s condition was stable and that he was responding positively to treatment. He had recently undergone cataract surgery and posted a 6-minute video message on August 22 after the death of former West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharya.
Yechury joined the CPI(M) in 1975 following his involvement with the Students’ Federation of India (SFI) and was arrested during the Emergency period while a student at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU). He served as president of the JNU Students’ Union three times between 1977 and 1988. Together with Prakash Karat, Yechury is recognized for enhancing the leftist influence at JNU and for continuing the coalition-building legacy of former General Secretary Harkishan Singh Surjeet.