From 54-year-old Rahul Gandhi to 86-year-old Farooq Abdullah, leaders of the INDIA bloc cutting across age and ideological divide Saturday fondly remembered their “friend” Sitaram Yechury, reminiscing their long and deep personal association with the “affectionate” late Communist stalwart. Paying tributes to Yechury at a condolence meeting, leaders of the INDIA bloc - from Mallikarjun Kharge to Ram Gopal Yadav, Kanimozhi, Supriya Sule, Manoj Kumar Jha and D Raja - said his demise was a personal loss to them, a blow to the secular and democratic forces in the country and to India’s Communist movement. “The CPM will find a new general secretary but we will not be able to find a Sitaram,” Jha said poignantly. “For me, Sitaram Yechury was a friend. I saw Mr Yechury from the first day I started my political journey. what I found, was a person, who was flexible, who listened… he was on the opposite spectrum ideologically, had the ability to understand, where we were coming from and he also allowed us to understand, where he was coming from. He was a bridge in a sense between certainly, the Congress and other parties in the INDIA gathbandhan,” said Gandhi. Kharge said Yechury played a major role in formation of the INDIA bloc. “Yechury used to call at 10-11pm or 8 or 9 in the morning… he wanted all of us to come together.” “If you really want to save India from these people who are dividing the country on the lines of religion, we have to think about how to get rid of them. I am a Muslim, am I an infiltrator?. I was born in India and will die here… and it is true for all Muslims. the biggest homage to Yechury would be to keep the fight going… remain united.” said National Conference’s Farooq Abdullah.
