Sitaram Yechury, in the thick of things

Yechury tells Udit Misra why 'the index of Opposition unity' has always been a key factor in Indian

To someone uninitiated in Indian politics,  and only to someone uninitiated in Indian politics, Sitaram Yechury, general secretary (GS) of the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M), which has just nine Lok Sabha seats (1.66 per cent of the total), would appear to be another insignificant Opposition leader. But as the events of the recent weeks have shown — there was a massive clamour demanding that the CPI-M allow Yechury a third term in the Rajya Sabha, some even calling it a “historic blunder” by the party — he is in a singularly unique position.

Notwithstanding his party’s meagre strength in