‘That was the last time I saw my friend’: Rahul Gandhi remembers Sitaram Yechury – Times of India

NEW DELHI: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi paid an emotional tribute to late CPI (M) leader Sitaram Yechury at a condolence meeting, recalling their last meeting and Yechury’s reluctance to go to the hospital despite persistent coughing. “That was the last time I saw my friend,” Gandhi shared, recounting how he urged Yechury to seek medical attention.
Gandhi shared his long-standing relationship with Yechury, acknowledging the ideological differences between them but praising Sitaram’s ability to bridge divides.”He had a unique capacity to listen and understand opposing viewpoints,” Gandhi noted.
“Despite being on the opposite side of the ideological spectrum, he made it possible for us to understand where he was coming from, and he understood where we were coming from.” He described Yechury as a “bridge” between the Congress party and other factions in the INDIA alliance.
Further, Rahul Gandhi said whenever Yechury discussed the BJP and RSS, it wasn’t about specific actions, but rather a broader warning. Rahul said, “Whenever he would speak to me about the BJP and RSS, he would not say that they were doing this and that, he would say that look, this is a danger to the country. What they are doing to our institutions, what they are doing to our structure, what they are doing to our education system is going to destroy India.”

Rahul Gandhi paid a heartfelt tribute to Yechury, whom he described as a man of great integrity and conviction. “He was a person you could trust, someone you were 100% sure wasn’t compromised in today’s political environment. Whatever he did, he always did it in the interest of the country. Maybe my brothers on the Left might not like it, but every time his starting point was India, and after that came his political ideology and convictions,” said Gandhi.
The Congress leader highlighted Yechury’s behind-the-scenes role in keeping political alliances intact. “There are people who are visible and upfront, and then there is the glue that holds the structure together. Sitaram Yechury was that glue,” he said, referring to Yechury’s role in the INDIA and UPA coalitions.
On a personal note, Rahul Gandhi shared memories of Yechury’s habit of smoking cigarettes, something Yechury was never able to quit. “I always noticed how stress was countered with a cigarette, and I used to tell him, ‘Yechury Ji, why don’t you get rid of this?’ That, I think, was the only habit he couldn’t let go of,” Gandhi said with a smile.

Rahul Gandhi also reflected on the profound loss Yechury endured when his son passed away. He admitted that during their conversation, he was left speechless, unsure of what to say. “I called him, but I didn’t know what to say. When I met him a few days later, the same tough, brave Yechury Ji was back,” Gandhi said.