He would be best known among communists - 'Baam Panthis' - as a pragmatic Leftist who loved smoking like old-school/college Dadas

 "I learnt a lot about communism from Bengali friends and a lot of Bengali-ness including this habit of smoking from communism," Sitaram Yechury had pointed out in 1998. 

That was my first meeting with him. Having arrived from far-flung Nagaland, he incidentally was one of the first Delhi netas I interviewed in his party office.  

PTI story in 'Asian Age' 

He was still enjoying his fag and was surprised that I could tell him, "No Sir, I don't smoke".

His response was courteous, "You are a Bengali from Nagaland .... cha khabey (have tea in Bangla)." 

Tea came and those Left-famous biscuits. I did not want to appear impolite to a man who was not only senior to me by age but also almost a national figure by then. 

He was the face of the communists in Delhi alongside his senior comrade Prakash Karat.  My story-idea was a small feature on 'lifestyle and how the spokespersons' in leading political parties prepare and conduct themselves. 

The idea was expected by PTI-Mag section head Arun Kumar -- perhaps one of the few gentlemen of the lot I had interacted with on Parliament Street.

But getting hold of the interview with Yechury was not easy for a new comer to the city. I took the help of then Chief Reporter Amitabh Roy Chowdhury - a hardcore Leftist himself and 'ARC' helped me out. 

Amtabh's successor would not have helped me with such an idea, I believe.

The interview was quite a successful one for a trainee under Arun Kumar. 

News clipping attached above. The striking part of his interaction was Late Sitaram's frankness. 

"It is all about communicating with the people," Sitaram Yechury had said on his role as CPI-M spokesman. 

The year was 1998 - Atal Bihari Vajpayee was the Prime Minister and our Comrade (Of course I am never a Baam Panthi) knew to be among headlines on daily basis.

But he went by protocol. "If you are looking for the senior man in my party, you should try Prakash Karat". I told him - I was satisfied with him and hence the interaction went on ! At one point he said, the CPI-M was still a media-shy party in Delhi as no 'spokesperson' was designated by the party politburo.

Yechury admitted that the Left parties and specially the CPI-M leaders "become inaccessible to the media" whenever he and Prakash Karat go out of town. And no party can/could take such a gamble at a time when ground realities demand constant visibility for political mileage." 

Lal Salam !! -- Comrades ! Sitaram with ARC PTI HQ

 There are other facets of Sitaram which I never agreed and so often argued with from time to time. But he was 'accommodative' and 'pragmatic' unlike Prakash Karat. In 1996 - I was still in Kohima - the CPI-M politburo and central committee vetoed Jyoti Basu becoming the Prime Minister even after all other non-Congress and non-BJP parties had agreed about his name. 

Karat played the spoiler boy and the rumour was Sitaram was okay with Basu taking the charge and it was given out that he was 'closer' to Basu personally among the Delhi-wallah Marxists.

The Left parties will in time to come never forgive themselves for giving this country a Prime Minister - called H D Deve Gowda. Basu himself later said, "it was historic blunder".

Many years later in 2008 when the CPI-M and other left parties withdrew support to the Manmohan Singh government, apparently Sitaram wanted a more practical stance. Prior to that during the UPA-I, he was a key member at the UPA-Left Coordination committee. 

He also had established good working rapport with the Congress veteran Pranab Mukherjee. 

Sitaram was close to Jyoti Basu 

In 2017, some of us walked to his office for inputs on Left party's stance for fast approaching Presidential elections. One journo jokingly asked, : "What will CPI-M do if Narendra Modi becomes candidate for the President's post"?

Yechury was with his usual signature style - a fag between his fingers - "Aha ! He is not a fool... (He soon seem to correct himself) He is a fool but not that big".  

Once he had said:

"While the Congress came out with Federal Investigation Agency Bill after Mumbai attacks, the BJP had come out with POTA. However, the important aspect is how to prevent such terror activities from taking place and there is no thinking on this by either of the two parties". 

Another quote:

"Sir, it is like the Prime Minister is creating a pond to kill crocodiles forgetting that crocodiles can survive on land also," he had said in Rajya Sabha. 

#Comrade Sitaram Yechuri 's body donated to #AIIMS

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