Sat Jun 28 08:19:31 UTC 2025: Here’s a news article summarizing the text, followed by a brief summary:

**Summary:**

A new biography of the late CPI(M) leader Sitaram Yechury reveals his one act of defiance against party discipline: his persistent smoking habit. Despite party resolutions and pleas from colleagues and family, Yechury, as General Secretary, jokingly vetoed attempts to make him quit. The book also highlights his wide-ranging interests beyond Marxist ideology, including sports.

**News Article:**

**Yechury’s Smoking Habit Was His Only Act of Rebellion, Reveals New Biography**

**Kozhikode, June 28, 2025:** The late CPI(M) General Secretary Sitaram Yechury, known for his adherence to party discipline, had one vice he refused to relinquish: smoking. This was revealed by current CPI(M) General Secretary M.A. Baby at an event in Kozhikode on Saturday, where he launched a new biography of Yechury titled “Modern Communist: The life story of Sitaram Yechury.”

According to Baby, the party, including Brinda Karat, repeatedly urged Yechury to quit. “The party polit bureau passed a resolution to this effect as well,” Baby said, “Yechury, who otherwise stuck to party discipline, used his power as the general secretary to veto this.”

Baby also recounted conversations with Yechury’s partner, Seema Chishti, at the All-India Institute of Medical Sciences, where Yechury spent his final days. Chishti reportedly asked why the party couldn’t convince him to quit, to which party leaders replied their futile attempts. Yechury, overhearing, promised to quit after leaving the hospital, a promise he was unable to keep.

Beyond his political life, the book sheds light on Yechury’s diverse interests. Baby described him as a Marxist with a keen interest in numerous subjects, contrasting him with E.M.S. Namboodiripad. “Yechury was deeply interested in such subjects as sports as well. I remember the morning conversations we have had after watching tennis legend Roger Federer’s late night matches,” Baby recalled.

The book, authored by K.R. Meera and edited by P.P. Aboobacker, was presented to Meera by Baby. The event was attended by several prominent figures, including Kozhikode Deputy Mayor C.P. Musafir Ahmed and writers N.P. Hafiz Mohammed and K.P. Ramanunni.

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