‘Not Just A Mistake But A Grievous One…..’: What Did Historian Irfan Habib Said About This Decision Of The Communist Part Of India?

Historian Professor Irfan Habib delivered the first Sitaram Yechury Memorial Lecture on the topic, The Left in the National Movement and its Legacy, at the Harkishan Singh Surjeet Bhawan (HKS) Surjeet Bhavan, New Delhi on Monday, September 15, 2025. According to Mr Habib, the communists in the 1940s made a mistake by equating the Muslim League with the Congress. He said, “”We should recognise that to place the Muslim League and the Congress at one level was not just a mistake but a grievous one.” Calling the Muslim league a communal party and Congress a national party, Mr Habib said that Congress at least had a socialist programme at that time. He added, “They called it socialist. We might not call it socialist, but that was for public welfare.” Mr Habib further said, “”Muslim League had no such programme. How could you then ask the Muslim Communists to go to the Muslim League?” as reported in the Press Trust of India. 

What do we know about Sitaram Yechury?

According to the official website of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), Sitaram Yechury was the topmost leader of the CPI (M and an outstanding leader of the Left movement. He was a well-known Marxist ideologue. At the age of 72, Mr Yechury died after battling a severe lung infection at the All-India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi. 

Additional information about Mr Yechury

The official website of the CPI (M) also mentions that Mr Yechury was a brilliant student who secured a first class in both his undergraduate and post-graduate degrees in economics. He had joined the student movement in Jawaharlal Nehru University in 1974. Mr Yechury became a leader of the Students Federation of India and was also elected thrice as President of the JNU Students Union within a span of two years. He was the All-India President of the Students Federation of India from 1984 to 1986. He played an important role in developing the student organisation as an all-India force.

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