THE CPI(M) Tripura state committee organised a remembrance meeting for Comrade Sitaram Yechury on September 24, at Rabindra Satabarshiki Bhavan, Agartala,. The meeting, presided over by Aghore Debbarma, Party Central Committee member and was addressed by Prakash Karat and Manik Sarkar, both Polit Bureau members; Jitendra Chaudhury, state secretary and a Central Committee member and leaders of other Left parties.

At the outset, a condolence resolution was read out by the president of the meeting, followed by the floral tributes to the image of the departed leader.

While paying homage to Comrade Sitaram, Prakash Karat became emotionally overwhelmed. He shared that it was very painful to reminisce about Sitaram, with whom he had worked closely for about five decades, beginning with their time in SFI at JNU in 1973  and thereafter at the Party centre.

Referring to the lessons we can learn from Comrade Sitaram’s life and legacy, Karat said that shortly after Sitaram was elected to the Central Committee of the Party, the international communist movement faced a major setback due to the collapse of the socialist system in the USSR and several Eastern European countries. Amidst a barrage of attacks on socialist ideology by the imperialist bloc, which declared communism irrelevant in the contemporary era, the Party felt the need to prepare a document to counter this narrative. Comrade Sitaram was the key architect of this document, titled ‘On Certain Ideological Issues,’ which he presented at the 14th Party Congress in 1992. In that document, Sitaram strongly defended the socialist system and irrefutably argued that the collapse of socialism in the USSR and neighbouring countries was not due to flaws in Marxism but rather to the incorrect application of the theory, Karat explained.

Karat went on to say that Sitaram believed that our struggle is not confined to the country alone; we must also carry out struggles against imperialism by strengthening international fraternity and solidarity with various communist and workers' parties across the world. He  highlighted Sitaram's commendable efforts in supporting Cuba, which was subjected to economic sanctions by the USA, and the solidarity with Palestine, a nation fighting to defend its territory from imperialist aggression at the cost of countless martyrs.

Karat stated, Sitaram undertook the valiant task of exposing the RSS following the demolition of the Babri Masjid in 1992. The book We, or Our Nationhood Defined, authored by Golwalkar, a key figure of the RSS, was meticulously dissected by Sitaram to reveal its fascist ideology, imported from Hitler's Germany. In addition, two other documents authored by Sitaram, What is Hindu Rashtra and Communalism vs. Secularism, serve as powerful tools to combat the BJP's Hindutva agenda.

Karat recounted that Sitaram was one of the vanguard leaders in formulating the Party's future programmes and political tactical line aimed at defeating and weakening the BJP. He was also a key figure in forming the INDIA bloc, uniting a majority of secular democratic parties in defense of democracy and the constitution, he added.

In conclusion, Karat mentioned that in the lead-up to the 24th Party Congress, Sitaram was engaged in preparing Party documents. His demise is undoubtedly a great loss to us, but we are now tasked with greater responsibility. However, as members of a Party that practices collective leadership, we will overcome this loss, and in this endeavor, we will surely be inspired by the work and legacy of Sitaram Yechury.

Paying homage to Sitaram, Manik Sarkar said that Sitaram would deeply introspect on changes in the international arena and their impact on the national sphere. Based on this understanding, he would then devise programmes for the Party. The younger generation must learn from the life and works of Comrade Sitaram. Sarkar emphasized the need to overcome ideological weaknesses.

Speaking about the national situation, Manik Sarkar stated that the country is currently ruled by a combination of capitalism, imperialism, and communalism. Although this combination has been weakened in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, the Left forces have made no significant gains. Sarkar explained the necessity of further consolidating Left parties and democratic secular forces, stressing that this should not be limited to seat-sharing during elections. Instead, they must unite and consistently address the issues faced by the people.

In Tripura, Manik Sarkar informed, a dangerous conspiracy is underway to divide people along ethnic and communal lines. Law and order in the state has deteriorated to an alarming extent, with increasing cases of murder, mob lynching, rape, gang rape, kidnapping, extortion, and other serious crimes. The culprits involved in these acts are openly challenging the authorities. Meanwhile, the general public is facing severe crises related to food, employment, soaring prices, breakdowns in healthcare, housing, non-functional roads, disruptions in electricity, and chaos in the education system. To distract the public from these crises, incidents of defacing 'Kali' idols are occurring in various places. We must help the people understand the root causes of these crises and expose the forces that seek to mislead them along communal and ethnic lines. If we succeed in this task, it will be the true homage to Comrade Sitaram Yechury, he said.

Jitendra Chaudhury recalled his last meeting with Sitaram on August 19, 2024, the day Sitaram was admitted to the hospital. He shared that during their half an hour discussion, Sitaram did not appear sick at all. Chaudhury described Sitaram as one of the torchbearers who showed the way to combat the BJP’s religion-based politics. He noted Sitaram’s deep connection with Tripura, highlighting how, during his visits, Sitaram was always eager to learn about every development in the state and offered valuable suggestions to state Party leaders. Chaudhury urged everyone to draw lessons from Sitaram’s work and become ideologically equipped to challenge the BJP's anti-democratic agenda, including its 'one nation, one election' policy and the destruction of democracy in Tripura, by strengthening and maintaining close contact with the people.

CPI state secretary Judhisthir Das, RSP state secretary Dipak Deb, and Forward Bloc state leader Jayanta Datta also addressed the meeting.

The condolence meeting began with a folk song performed by artists from the Tripura Cultural Coordination Committee and concluded with the rendering of the Internationale.