Mufti, Azad mourn Yechury’s demise

Former J&K CMs Mehbooba Mufti and Ghulam Nabi Azad on Thursday expressed shock over the passing of veteran CPM leader Sitaram Yechury, who died aged 72 at the AIIMS in Delhi following prolonged illness.

“Deeply saddened and shocked to hear about the passing of my dear friend Sitaram Yechury ji. We’ve lost a great statesman, a dedicated parliamentarian, and a remarkable human being. His demise is a tremendous loss for national politics. My heartfelt condolences to his family, friends and colleagues,” Azad said in a post on X.

PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti posted on X: “Shocking. Deepest condolences to his family and loved ones.”

Armed with a Supreme Court order, Yechury was the first national leader to visit Kashmir to meet CPM leader Mohammad Yousuf Tarigami — who was among the mainstream leaders to be detained by the authorities in the aftermath of the abrogation of Article 370 in August 2019. Yechury was also part of all-party delegations that visited Kashmir following summer agitations in the Valley in 2010 and 2016.

Congress leader Saifuddin Soz also condoled the veteran leader’s death, saying “Yechury was respected across party lines”.