Sonia Gandhi pays last respects to veteran CPI-M leader Sitaram Yechury

New Delhi, Sep 14 (IANS) Former Congress President Sonia Gandhi on Saturday visited the Communist Party of India (CPI-M) headquarters and paid her last respects to the veteran Left leader Sitaram Yechury, who passed away after a prolonged battle with pneumonia.

Sonia Gandhi offered floral tributes to the CPI-M veteran, whose body has been kept at AK Gopalan Bhavan, the party headquarters for public viewing and paying homage.

“Party workers and his well-wishers can visit the Gopalan Bhavan between 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and pay tributes to the late Sitaram Yechury,” the CPI-M said in a statement earlier.

After paying homage to the veteran, Sonia Gandhi also met his family members and extended support in their moment of grief.

Earlier, Sonia Gandhi offering her condolences over Yechury’s demise remembered their close association with during UPA-I.

“I am very saddened by the passing away of Sitaram Yechury. We had worked closely together during 2004-08 to begin with and the friendship that had been established then continued till his very end. He played a pivotal role in UPA-I and more recently contributed immensely to the formation of INDIA group in the run-up to the 2024 Lok Sabha elections,” said the longest-serving Congress president.

She also lauded his "uncompromising" commitment to the values of the Indian Constitution and said that his 12-year stint in Parliament will remain etched in history.

A day ago, Yechury’s body was kept at the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) for students to pay homage. It was here that Yechury made his foray into political space. He joined the Students Federation of India (SFI) at JNU and was elected its President thrice, starting in 1977.

CPI-M General Secretary Sitaram Yechury breathed his last at the AIIMS on Thursday, following a prolonged illness. He was 72. He was in critical condition for the last few days and was on respiratory support before passing away on September 12. He was admitted to the hospital on August 19.

The demise of Sitaram Yechury saw condolences pouring in from all political quarters including the BJP leaders.