Why Left bastion Kerala will miss Sitaram Yechury the most

“It would be dishonest to say we can simply move on, that Yechury's departure is just another part of the game and we have enough in our ranks to fill the void. For me, for all of us comrades, and especially for those of us in Kerala, this is an irreparable loss. Mark my words, nothing will ever be the same for the party or for us Keralites,” said a CPI(M) leader from Kerala, speaking from Kochi airport on his way to New Delhi to bid farewell to the departed parliamentarian, Sitaram Yechury.

The general secretary of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) and former Rajya Sabha member Yechury passed away in a Delhi hospital on September 12 after battling a severe respiratory infection. He was 72.

Close relationship with Kerala

M B Rajesh, minister for local government and excise, Kerala told The Federal, "Yechury had a relationship with Kerala spanning over fifty years, beginning from his student days. The cadres in Kerala, many of whom rose through the student movement, had a close personal connection with him. He stayed well-informed about all political developments in the state and provided ideological and policy inputs to the Kerala party. Yechury was respected by the masses in Kerala as well, transcending party lines."

The feeling of being leaderless as the party grapples with finding a suitable replacement for Yechury — someone capable of navigating crucial political moments in Delhi, coordinating with comrades from the anti-fascist front, and the relatively softer INDIA bloc — is understandable. However, for a Kerala CPI(M) leader, the weight of this loss is far more complex.

Yechury was one of the most popular non-Malayali leaders of this generation of communists, largely due to the strong ties he maintained with Kerala leaders who had significant mass support, particularly V S Achuthanandan. During the peak of factional battles within the Kerala party in the 2000s, Yechury remained a key figure among Malayalis, even with Prakash Karat, a Malayali by birth, serving as the party's general secretary.

Rare leader

In 2006, when VS Achuthanandan was initially denied a ticket to contest the assembly elections, and media speculations suggested that the veteran leader might even consider quitting the party, it was Yechury who played a crucial role in resolving the situation. He argued forcefully in the Politburo, leading to the central leadership’s decision to field Achuthanandan from Malampuzha — a move the state leadership had to reluctantly accept as a bitter pill.

Similarly, in 2016, when Pinarayi Vijayan was chosen over V S Achuthanandan for the post of Chief Minister, Yechury once again played a crucial role in diffusing the media frenzy. He did this by visiting Achuthanandan and referring to him as Kerala’s Fidel Castro.

The media coverage of the swearing-in ceremony of the first Pinarayi government was overshadowed by controversy involving VS Achuthanandan reportedly handing a note to Sitaram Yechury. A section of the media portrayed this as a demand for the post of Chairman of the Administrative Commission, which Achuthanandan later denied vehemently.

However, Yechury's presence and his acceptance among Achuthanandan’s supporters were instrumental in preventing another round of factionalism within the party.

Although, he was often portrayed as the go-to man for VS Achuthanandan and not particularly friendly with Pinarayi Vijayan, Yechury skilfully navigated the party through the warring factions in Kerala. His close relationship with the rebellious VS faction was key to his success, as it allowed him to manage the Kerala party effectively, while the official faction generally adhered to party discipline.

"He was one of the rare leaders capable of uniting opposing figures around a common cause. An organic communist, he had the ability to translate the higher ideals of inner-party democracy into pragmatic action," observed P Rajeev, CPI(M) Central Committee member and Kerala’s minister for industries.

Contention over Congress

Yechury’s perceived soft stance towards Congress, as part of the broader anti-Hindutva strategy, was a major point of contention with the Kerala leadership.

Despite their staunch opposition to the BJP, the immediate rivalry in Kerala is with the Congress. The party’s national-level alignment with Congress often undermined its prospects in state elections, particularly in the Lok Sabha polls. This was evident in several instances, with significant setbacks in 2009, 2019, and 2024.

Rahul Gandhi’s candidacy in Wayanad, coupled with Yechury’s inability to dissuade him despite his close ties with the Gandhi family, was something the Kerala leadership found intolerable. In contrast, Prakash Karat, who was less willing to align with Congress, maintained unwavering support from the Kerala leadership.

The party’s think tank and many intellectual fellow travellers have consistently refused to acknowledge the internal ideological rift, often placing the blame on external interpreters, particularly the media and the liberal intellectuals.

Sorely missed

Abhijith Bawa, a left-leaning political commentator said, “The media is creating anti-party narratives by pitting one CPI(M) leader against another. Another issue is the academic narrow-mindedness that pits 'popular leaders' within the party against the intellectual ones. Their superficial observations will often be along the lines of Karat is like this, Yechury is like that, Pinarayi is like this, Brinda is like that."

Further, he added, "Some will glorify the popular leaders. This is an egotistic tactic employed by academics who have no connection with society or the masses, trying to hide their own absence. It stems from the illusion that the verbal exercises they conduct while sitting in their academic glass palaces have no social relevance, and from this superficiality, they turn to such easy routes, relying solely on experiential rationality." This observation clearly illustrates how they perceive the media portrayal of the Yechury-Karat divide within the party.

At this crucial juncture, with organisational conferences underway and the party facing an internal ideological crisis, Yechury's passing has added to the turmoil. The party is contending with a series of allegations against the Kerala government, its only stronghold, while a significant portion of the cadre remains dissatisfied with the performance of the Pinarayi Vijayan government and the party’s inability to intervene creatively and decisively.

The party may appoint MA Baby from Kerala or Brinda Karat, who has been closely followed by Kerala comrades, as interim general secretary until the party congress in April 2025. However, neither of them is expected to match the impact of Yechury’s interventions and presence.

At this moment, the Kerala party seems to be missing Yechury the most across the country. Whether it’s the leadership or the rank and file, all are looking to the central leadership for crisis management and feeling the absence of their down-to-earth and flexible general secretary.