Sitaram Yechury, the General Secretary of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), courted controversy after he refused to acknowledge the atrocities committed by the Chinese government on its citizens.
During an interview with YouTuber Samdish Bhatia on Sunday (7th January), the ‘anti-capitalism’ CPIM leader was asked about his cell phone (iPhone) manufactured by an American company using cheap labour in China.
“Well-paid labour,” Sitaram Yechury claimed at about 35 minutes into the interview. Samidsh Bhatia interjected, “China has well-paid labour? Come on. How long will you lie to yourself?” The Indian Communist Party leader alleged that such claims are part of anti-China propaganda.
“Oh you are saying that China is not totalitarian?” the YouTuber inquired. While ignoring the grim reality, Sitaram Yechury claimed, “Both sides are there. I will accuse you for what you accuse me.”
When asked about ‘freedom of the press’ in China, the CPIM leader remarked, “Well they print some newspapers. All the foreign agencies work from there. What do you mean by control? How can you control BBC?”
“Come on, yaar. They are all State-sponsored media. they are heavily controlled,” Samdish Bhatia gave a reality check to Sitaram Yechury, who was quick to claim that there is no freedom of the press in India.
Sitaram Yechury dismisses Chinese persecution of Uyghur Muslims
On being pointed out that no protest or acts of dissent by citizens are allowed in China, the Communist party leader dismissed the lack of freedom of speech in the country as ‘propaganda’. He instead requested Bhatia to visit China, adding that it would change his impression of the Communist-run nation.
“Go check it out, once. Come back and let us know. Actually, why don’t you just take a visa and go?” Sitaram Yechury insisted. He also refused to acknowledge or condemn the persecution of Uyghur Muslims by the Chinese Communist Party in Xinjiang province.
“These are problems that need to be properly resolved…Problems are everywhere,” the CPIM leader said instead.
Sitaram Yechury, CPIM and love for Xi Jinping
Sitaram Yechury has never shied away from praising the Chinese government and its authoritarian Premier Xi Jinping.
“As far as the world is concerned, we think the (Chinese Communist Party) Congress’ decisions will be important for strengthening multilateralism in international relations as opposed to unilateralism and imperialism,” he said in 2017.
The Indian Communist leader further added, “I think in the future, challenges such as economic development, social harmony and the fight against negative features will be met more effectively in China.”
Yechury had also defended Xi Jinping’s disastrous handling of the Coronavirus pandemic. “The exemplary manner in which the PRC (People’s Republic of China) tackled and contained the Covid pandemic, reopened its society and economy with the requisite precautions and put back the economy on a growth trajectory, is a lesson for the world establishing the superiority of socialism as a system over capitalism,” he had claimed.
“The efforts to eliminate inequalities and corruption, raising the quality of life have put PRC on the path for achieving the centennial goal of building a ‘modern socialist country that is prosperous, strong, democratic, culturally advanced and harmonious’ by 2049,” Yechury praised Xi’s authoritarianism.
As such, it comes as no wonder that the Chinese Communist Party values its ties with the Indian leftist parties.
When Yechury hailed Romanian dictator
According to veteran journalist Kanchan Gupta, Sitaram Yechury wrote a ‘glowing piece’ hailing Romanian dictator Nicolae Ceausescu before the latter’s execution in 1989.
A report in Open Magazine read, “In 1989, CPM leader Sitaram Yechury made a visit to Romania and upon his return wrote in the party paper, People’s Democracy, paeans on the Communist government of Nicolae Ceausescu. Within weeks, however, Ceausescu was removed in a violent uprising.
It must be mentioned that Nicolae Ceaușescu was the former General Secretary of the Romanian Communist Party and the President of Romania. He was executed on December 25, 1989. The execution followed a series of events that led to the overthrow of his regime.
Comrade @SitaramYechury wrote a glowing piece about Nicolae Ceausescu, the ruthless Romanian dictator whose loos had commodes made of gold, after a sponsored junket in 1989.
— Kanchan Gupta 🇮🇳 (@KanchanGupta) January 8, 2024
Some days later, Ceausescu was deposed in a mass uprising and executed, along with his wife, in a public… pic.twitter.com/T2YXUK3AIB
Ceausescu’s rule was marked by authoritarianism, human rights abuses, and economic mismanagement. By the late 1980s, Romania faced severe economic hardships, food shortages, and a rapid decline in the standard of living.
Ceausescu’s oppressive policies, including forced resettlements and restrictions on freedom of speech, had led to widespread discontent among the population. In December 1989, protests erupted in the city of Timișoara against the government’s decision to evict an ethnic Hungarian pastor. The demonstrations quickly spread to other cities, including the capital, Bucharest.
The security forces initially cracked down on the protesters, but as the scale of the unrest grew, the military turned against Ceausescu. On 22nd December 1989, Ceaușescu delivered a speech in Bucharest to quell the uprising but the crowd turned against him.
Ceausescu and his wife Elena were eventually captured by the military. Following a hasty trial by a special military tribunal, the duo was found guilty of crimes against the state, genocide, and undermining the national economy.
They were sentenced to death and executed by firing squad on 25th December 1989. Nicolae Ceausescu’s execution marked the end of more than four decades of communist rule in Romania.
