With the demise of General Secretary Sitaram Yechuri, the Communist Party of India (Marxist) in particular and the leftist movement in India in general have reached a crossroads. Though the party will select the next leader from amongst the Polit Bureau members or his predecessor Prakash Kart may be forced to take the mantle at least temporarily, the party will lose much of its shine that has been due to the practical approach or the realpolitik adopted by him.

Sitaram Yechuri And His Brand Of Realpolitik

Though Yechuri was arrested for protesting against the imposition of Emergency in 1974 when he was still a student and an active member of the Student Federation of India, years later, he emerged as one of the main advocates of working together with the Congress Party. Call it the realpolitik or the need of the hour or sheer opportunism, Sitaram Yechuri came forward to support the Congress government of Manmohan Singh. 

Yechuri Backs Congress Govt To Keep BJP Out

He was the General Secretary of the party in 2004 when he steered the entire leadership to support the NDA government led by Congress’ Manmohan Singh. He championed the cause of keeping the Hindutva forces away from power and convinced the entire Opposition to close ranks and back the secular coalition.

Common Minimum Programme: Brainchild Of Yechuri

When Sonia Gandhi surprised everyone by selecting the politically weak person Manmohan Singh as the Prime Minister of the country, it was Sitaram Yechuri who accepted him with open arms despite the economic reforms carried out by him as the Finance Minister of P.V. Narasimha Rao.

Like a clever politician and shrewd leftist, Yechuri did not give the much-needed outside support unconditionally. He came out with some of the programs of his party, Prakash Karat sat with Congress strategists Jairam Ramesh and Salman Khurshid to draft the Common Minimum Programme (CMP).

Ideology Rules Supreme For Yechuri

But the honeymoon came to an end when India signed the civil nuclear deal with the US making it a junior partner of the big power. Again, it was the demand for realpolitik or a better understanding of the ground realities that the CPIM pulled out the plug in 2007.

Did Yechuri Stop Basu From Becoming PM?

Sitaram Yechuri is blamed for stopping veteran leftist leader Jyoti Basu from becoming the Prime Minister of the country in 1996 when no party got a majority and Congress and other parties including the Left Front allied to keep the saffron party out of power. Then West Bengal Chief Minister was unanimously elected as the potential Prime Minister of the country.

But it was the Sothern lobby or the Kerala line of the leftist party that opposed the move on the ground that the party would not be able to implement its program. Yechuri and Prakash Karat were the main protagonists of this drama which did not allow Basu to be the prime minister.

But it was the ideology on which Yechuri could not make any compromise like a true communist. Later, Basu said he was relieved of the burden, but the party would have benefitted by taking charge of the government.

CPI(M) Loses Ground Under Yechuri

When the left movement became weak worldwide leaving its impact on India, the CPIM felt the heat. The Left Front first lost many seats in the Lok Sabha and it was pushed out of the government in West Bengal. Soon, the situation became so pathetic that not a single candidate from any leftist party won from West Bengal. Sitaram Yechuri told the comrades to change with the time and be flexible. 

Sitram Yechuri was not given ample time to reform the party or revive it and make it vibrant once again like the good old days. At a time when rightist forces are gaining ground across the globe and the BJP has established its hold on the country, including the youth, CPIM could be the party to change the situation and break the right hegemony. But Yechuri could not get enough time. He has passed away at a time when the country, the left movement, and the CPIM need him most.