I did offer to resign, says Yechury on Karat's remarks

CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury today stuck to his earlier admission that he did offer his resignation in the party's recent Central Committee meet, adding reports stating otherwise were completely untrue.

Yechury insisted that he not only offered to resign in the party's Central Committee meet in Kolkata but also in the politburo meeting in Delhi earlier.

In both the meeting, he was asked to continue on the post, the CPI(M) leader said.

He was asked about former general secretary Prakash Karat's reported remarks denying that Yechury had offered to resign as the party chief after the central committee of the party rejected the draft presented by him at its meeting in Kolkata.

Karat had made the remarks in an interview to a news web portal yesterday.

Yechury today said, "I have said this very clearly in the press conference after the central committee... I have said that my continuation will be untenable.

"But the Politburo said 'no, that will create a impression that the party is divided' particularly in Tripura elections. So they said I should continue. Unanimously they said," the CPI(M) general secretary said.

He insisted that he "repeated this in the Central Committee" but the reaction was the same.

"Therefore in the press conference I said that I am here as a general secretary because my central committee and politburo want me to. It is as clear as that," Yechury told PTI, adding he was stating the facts which could be verified by any other leader who was present at the meet.

According to party insiders, the issue has once again brought to the fore the tussle between the two camps led by Karat and Yechury. Some of the leaders, who were present at the meet, even alleged that "whosoever is denying that Yechury offered his resignation, is blatantly lying".