Yechuri's Nepal Sign: Protest in Indian Parliament against the blockade

All three leaders Yachuri died on Thursday at the age of 72 while undergoing treatment at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in New Delhi.

The political transition period after the people's movement of 2062/063 and the Indian embargo after the promulgation of the constitution, Yachuri is the most remembered character in the history of these two periods in Nepal. He often visited Nepal and consulted with Nepali leaders regarding political developments in Nepal and Nepal-India relations. He strongly protested the blockade imposed by the establishment party while staying in India.

Even in Nepal, when some leaders were finding it difficult to say blockade, he brought the issue of blockade to the parliament and MPs of India. He played a role in holding a special meeting in the Parliament.

In a special consultation meeting of the Parliament, before the then Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj, Foreign Secretary S. Jaishankar and South Block officials, Yachury and a dozen Indian MPs questioned about the strained diplomatic relations with Nepal.

If India did not embargo, why is daily life in Nepal chaotic and lacking? Yechury questioned the establishment at that time. In the interview he gave to Kantipur in the second week of November 2072 after India lifted the embargo, 'The embargo has spoiled India's image and India's biggest 'diplomatic mistake'. He said it happened.

This blockade imposed on Nepal is the biggest diplomatic mistake of the Indian government. On the one hand, promoting the policy of 'neighborhood first' in terms of relations and cooperation, on the other hand, deciding the strategy of blockade in the immediate neighborhood is a matter full of contradictions in itself. Due to the embargo imposed on Nepal, India's international image has also deteriorated," Yechury said.

In a special consultation meeting in the Lok Sabha, the then Foreign Minister Swaraj said that 'India has not imposed a blockade on Nepal, this is a difficulty caused by the obstruction of the Madhesi community at the border'. Responding to Swaraj's statement, Yechury questioned why the supply of goods was not facilitated if there were no border barriers. External Affairs Minister Swaraj could not give a clear answer.

He also spoke clearly about India's displeasure with issues such as the removal of the Hindu nation in Nepal. He said that India has no right to question the sovereign existence of Nepal.

I have seen many debates here (Delhi) like the internal affairs of Nepal, sometimes about the issue of Hindu nation, sometimes about the constitutional amendment issue. One question I always ask is, who are we to question the internal processes of a sovereign neighbor with its constitution? Is it appropriate for us to keep asking questions about a free country? Nepal itself takes the decision about Nepal. Neither can we interfere, nor show unwanted influence.'

At that time, Yechury also talked about the 56-inch chest used by the Indian Prime Minister as an example of his openness about the relationship with Nepal. Yechury said in order to improve the relationship strained by the embargo - 'Our Prime Minister Modi always talks about a 56 inch chest. It is our hope that this chest will become acceptable in facilitating all our economic relations.

CPI-Marxist General Secretary Yechury came to Nepal with the success of the people's movement of 2062/63 and during the Constituent Assembly elections and the transition period after that, he came to Nepal. "Wikileaks" also revealed that Yechury came to Nepal with the formula of defusing the political difficulties that arose after the first Constituent Assembly election. Although the Maoists emerged as a major political force in the elections, a political crisis arose when the then Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala refused to hand over power easily. Yechury at that time suggested to Maoist Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal to accept Koirala as interim president in a symbolic role. But Koirala had expressed his desire to become President and Commander in Chief with Yechury.

Maoist Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal said that if Koirala became the president, he could use the army to strengthen the power and that would create a situation of a dual power centre. At that time, Yechury suggested to Dahal that the political equation would be balanced by giving the post of President to Congress, Prime Minister to Maoist and President of Constituent Assembly to UML. It was also revealed that he suggested that it would be better to send Baburam Bhattarai to the post of Prime Minister instead of Dahal.

Yechury entered party politics from the student movement. He was instrumental in establishing a non-violent student movement in India. He was elected as the President of the Independent Students' Union of Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) three times consecutively on behalf of the Students' Federation of India (SFI). As a student leader at JNU, he was active in civil rights and left-wing ideologies during the crisis imposed during the Indira Gandhi regime from 1975 to 1977.

Yechury was known as a pragmatic leader among the Leftists in India. He had cordial relations with almost all political parties. He is also known as the founder of coalition politics in India. Yechury's ego played a role in the formation of HD Deve Gowda in 1996 and Indra Kumar Gujral in 1996. Later, in 2004, he had a special initiative to form the Manmohan Singh-led government.

However, the Left Front, including the Marxists, opposed the India-US nuclear agreement and withdrew its support before the end of the Manmohan government's tenure. The decision of the Left Front was controversial. The Left Front suffered a heavy defeat in the Lok Sabha elections held a year later. Yechury later termed the decision to quit the Manmohan government as a political mistake. Yechury was a member of Rajya Sabha, India's upper house, from 19 August 2005 to 18 August 2017. At present, there are four MPs from his party in the Indian Lok Sabha when even the Congress has become defensive after the rise of Modi with the issue of Hindutva in India.

He has a wife, a son and a daughter. His eldest son Ashish died in 2021 due to covid infection. Mrs. Chishti is the editor of Indian English online The Wire.