This week, young Congress leader Chandy Oommen became part of the Kerala assembly as the Puthuppally MLA, a role his father and former chief minister Oommen Chandy held for 53 years. He is well aware that he has really big shoes to fill.
However, Chandy, with his innate political skills, is confident of manoeuvring through the choppy waters of politics. He talks to TNIE about the controversies around the solar scam, allegations of being a ‘lateral entrant’ into electoral politics, groups in Congress, and the importance of keeping political fights from spilling over into the family space
How has life changed for you after becoming MLA?
I get around 300 - 350 calls every day from 7 a.m. to midnight seeking help. Everyone expects me to be like Appa (Oommen Chandy).
Are you scared?
(Chuckles) It’s a herculean task to become like Appa. Sometimes, people get upset if I don’t attend calls. I am a beginner and I have certain difficulties.
Oommen Chandy’s style was never to say ‘no’ to anyone...
That is a problem (laughs).
Are you getting to know Oommen Chandy, the politician, better now?
I knew he rarely said ‘no’ to anyone. But whenever he said ‘no’, they were a strong ‘no’.
Do you recall such an instance?
In 2019, there was a possibility for me to contest in the Lok Sabha elections. But he took a firm stance. It was a decision no one could change.
Saying ‘no’ when required is a good thing, isn’t it?
His style was to convey ‘no’ without saying so (chuckles).
Were you upset at that time?
I did not try for it (Lok Sabha seat). It was people’s wish. I did not push for it because I knew his mind.
Oommen Chandy was among those who had opposed dynasty politics, especially when K Karunakaran’s son K Muraleedharan entered politics...
I don’t know that. But I believed he (Oommen Chandy) was not in favour of my entry when he was around.
There is resentment among youth of your age towards the so-called lateral entry into politics. What is your take on it?
There is no such lateral entry in Kerala.
But what about Uma Thomas, K S Sabarinadhan…? Weren’t they lateral entries?
It’s an entry into electoral politics where a number of factors are in play. At that point of time, only winning matters.
But is it correct to parachute ‘outsiders’ while many local leaders who have toiled for the party get ignored?
It’s a party’s political decision as to who is fit to win that election.
So, you mean to say an opportune moment to win the election led to your candidature?
It was not just about that; my political life of the past 20 years also played a part. I have walked with Rahul Gandhi ji from Kanyakumari to Kashmir. After my father’s demise, the party took such a decision.
Parliamentary politics is the aim of most party workers. Isn’t deciding candidates based on family connections at a particular time a sort of injustice to ordinary party workers?
The Congress has given the opportunity to so many of its cadre. Shafi Parambil, for instance, is a leader who has worked up through the cadre system. In the 2021 election, many people asked me to contest. My name did the rounds in about 40 seats, but I did not contest.
There is a perception that the Congress always looks to win by-elections on the sympathy wave factor. Why is that so?
Every party devises a strategy to win. The CPM, too, did the same in Tripura this time.
The Congress claims there is resentment against the ruling dispensation in Kerala. In such a case, wouldn’t it have been better if it had fielded an ordinary political leader and clinched the victory? That could have been considered a political victory...
This, too, is a political victory. We call it abhimana tharangam, not sahatapa tharangam.
But you dedicated your win to Oommen Chandy. Now you claim it is a political victory...
There are many factors. His (Oommen Chandy’s) performance was not well-assessed in his 12th election. But, thanks to our friends in the LDF, it was thoroughly assessed in the 13th election (the bypoll).
You have got only 4,000 plus votes more than what Oommen Chandy garnered in 2011. If there had been a strong resentment against the government as you claim, the margin should have been much higher, right?
It’s only because votes poured in that I got over 60% of the mandate. It was also the eighth-highest victory margin in the state.
Do you think the margin was not up to party’s expectations?
Many voters were denied their franchise…
Summing up questions on lateral entry, if the Puthuppally verdict was the result of Oommen Chandy’s development works for five decades, any other candidate would have ensured that victory. Why Chandy Oommen?
Of course, but that doesn’t mean that the candidate should not be Chandy Oommen (chuckles).
Dynasty politics is in the DNA of the Congress. Is Chandy Oommen of the view that the so-called lateral entry is not a bad practice?
Politics in India reflects the system around us. There is nothing wrong with one person entering politics on account of being a leader’s son or daughter. But the question is whether he stands for society and works for it. You should judge people not because of heredity, but based on their actions.
Are you conscious that you won this time as Oommen Chandy’s son, and the next time, you must win based on your performance as MLA?
I have not won only on account of being Oommen Chandy’s son. People have voted taking all these aspects into account. Yes, they will assess my work next time.
There are many who think Achu Oommen should have joined politics...
She will not join politics. That’s our decision.
How do you view the discussions about development in Puthuppally?
Oommen Chandy did the maximum he could for the constituency. Now, the truth about the ‘solar case’ is out. Many who believed the LDF’s propaganda are now confessing their guilt.
Aren’t leaders in the Congress and the UDF also silently admitting their guilt?
What connection do the Congress and the UDF have to it?
Middleman T G Nandakumar has said two former home ministers played a crucial role…
Everyone knows who created all the problems.
V D Satheesan says the CM was in the loop when Tenny Joppan was arrested, while K C Joseph counters it... As Oommen Chandy’s son and a Congress leader, what do you know about this episode?
My father faced no problems from the Congress. That’s all I can say. It is a closed chapter. I have reconciled with it. What is the point of having an inquiry now?
But, the Congress party has demanded an inquiry...
This is my opinion. But the decision of the Congress leadership is ultimate. How many crores have been spent on them (inquiries).
In the case of Joppan’s arrest, who is speaking the truth — V D Satheesan or K C Joseph?
I am not aware of this.
Do you think people would believe that you never spoke to your father about an issue that created such a buzz in the state’s political circle?
Is it mandatory that I ask him everything? Even if I asked, is there any guarantee that he’d answer?
So, you did ask, but didn’t get an answer?
No, that’s not what I said. He never spoke about all things. I have never seen him worried.
Even when his closest aide, Joppan, was arrested?
The only time he was upset was on the day the LDF government charged him with the fabricated rape case. It was a decision taken by the current chief minister. My mother told me he didn’t sleep that night. That was the only time he lost his sleep.
The arrest of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan’s former principal secretary M Sivasankar was the turning point in the gold smuggling scam. Similarly, it was the arrest of Joppan and Jikku, who were in the CMO, that put Oommen Chandy under the scanner....
Who conspired to register a case against Oommen Chandy? Who made him suffer mentally? If that is the question, the answer is LDF. In 2021, who insisted on a CBI inquiry? Crores of rupees were spent on a judicial commission inquiry. The CBI has now said he was not guilty. Does the CPM have anything to say about it?
It is an open secret that the solar scam case began because of the problems within the UDF and the Congress...
Wasn’t Kairali the first channel to break the news?
But Oommen Chandy had filed a complaint against another TV channel, not Kairali...
Kairali was the first to telecast the news related to Saritha. Who laid siege to the secretariat? Who carried out a day-and-night protest? Why did they say that they would disperse only after the CM resigned? Who made a controversy out of the arrest of a few from the CMO?
So, are you saying that no Congress insiders had any role in Joppan’s arrest?
What I am saying is that it is wrong to say that there was a [internal] conspiracy behind it.
Do you believe Jikku and Joppan were linked to the scamsters?
No comments.
Do you believe they were part of a conspiracy to malign Oommen Chandy’s name?
No comments.
So, you prefer to see LDF as the enemy, rather than those who betrayed Oommen Chandy from within your party?
In my point of view, there was no betrayal.
Does it mean you have then reconciled with the Congress leaders who backstabbed Oommen Chandy?
No one backstabbed him.
Take the ISRO espionage case. The then chief minister K Karunakaran lost his post, and he alleged that certain leaders had backstabbed him. It was almost similar to what happened in the solar case. Unlike K Muraleedharan, who had openly said that his father was backstabbed, why is Chandy Oommen hesitating to say some people had indeed backstabbed his father?
Now the blame seems to be upon me! I accept my crime (laughs out). Appa never said anything about it. He never spoke badly about anyone. He spoke only against the CPM.
Wonder why you don’t defend your father? Even senior leaders like K C Joseph defend Oommen Chandy openly...
That is your viewpoint (chuckles).
We see a very ambitious political leader here...
Again, that is your viewpoint (chuckles).
Have you never, at any point in time, felt the need to speak out that your father was innocent?
How many commissions have already said that he was not guilty? Who had alleged that he was guilty? Why is it necessary for me to speak? All those allegations were baseless.
If the solar case was just smoke without fire, so was the ISRO espionage case...
There was no personal animosity between Appa and K Karunakaran. K Karunakaran was one of the leaders Appa liked the most. Karunakaran was the first person he went to meet after he got married. I understand that there were political differences between the two of them.
In an earlier session of Express Dialogues, Ramesh Chennithala had said that he regretted what he had done to K Karunakaran. Did Oommen Chandy, at any point in time, have such a feeling towards Karunakaran?
Why should he have? And, how can I speak for him?
Did you ever feel that he regretted what he did to Karunakaran?
How can I answer this?
What’s your personal take?
The politicking that led to the resignation of ‘Leader’ [Karunakaran] was different. It was a political decision taken by P V Narasimha Rao. I was just a boy at that time.
Who is the ‘A’ group’s leader now?
There is no such faction now.
Is Chandy Oommen part of the ‘A’ group?
I am part of the Rahul group. That group is the Indian National Congress.
So the ‘A’ group has no right over Chandy Oommen?
There is no question of claims over me. The party is ultimate.
The Bharat Jodo Yatra turned out to be an important chapter for Rahul Gandhi. Was it the same in your life, too?
The yatra was carried out to unite the country. Qualitative changes occurred in the lives of all those who attended it. Personally, I got an opportunity to look after my father in the midst of the Bharat Jodo yatra. Rahul Gandhi gave me Rs 15 lakh to take my father to Germany for treatment.
But, did Chandy Oommen who was practising in the Supreme Court need external help to provide treatment to his father?
Can we claim that all the advocates who practise in the SC are well-off?
So, are you saying that Chandy Oommen was not a successful advocate?
(Chuckles)
In the last assembly elections, your statement on Hagia Sophia church proved controversial and Kerala Catholic Bishops’ Council asked you to study history properly. Do you still maintain your stance?
I had said at the time that such an incident happened because of the kind of government that had come to power in that country. My lines were taken out of context.
Recently, there was a social media buzz over your temple visit. You had offered thulabharam, and it was criticised by a few Christian groups.
The temple officials had apprised me about the thulabharam, which they wished to offer on my behalf. I agreed. I don’t understand what’s wrong with that. I believe that all religions are ultimately love. It’s a way to understand God. Each one has their own way to do that. That’s all.
A family member had raised concerns that Oommen Chandy was not getting proper treatment. What’s the truth?
From October 5 last year, I have been targeted. On October 6, my father made a diary note about this. It clearly mentions his visit to Germany, where he was told there was no need for treatment. He must have realised that people may try to hunt me down just the way they tried with him.
Yours is a family that was subjected to political witch-hunt. Similarly, Pinarayi and his family have also been at the receiving end. Is this a healthy trend?
I have never supported it. We have been subjected to it for 20 years. When Riyas and Veena got married, there was such an attack. I had opposed that. I don’t agree with personal attacks against anyone.
After Oommen Chandy’s funeral you had thanked Pinarayi and Kodiyeri Balakrishnan. What made you do that?
Last October, CM Pinarayi Vijayan had come by a special flight to meet Appa. He showed keen interest in my father’s health. He had called me thrice to discuss Appa’s health.
What about Kodiyeri?
I have special gratitude to Kodiyeri Balakrishnan’s family, especially his wife. When allegations came up about me not giving proper treatment for my father, she offered her support. Vinodini aunty called my mother and asked her to tell my father not to opt for that treatment. She said it was better to continue with what we were doing.
Was it about chemotherapy?
She said not to take that treatment. It could be because of her personal experience. It was in October. I will always be grateful to her.
There were demands that modern medicine be used to treat him...
It’s the family’s prerogative to decide on that.
Did the patient concur?
In Appa’s case, others used to decide what the patient wanted! He’s a public person. There was pressure due to rumours. That created a difficult atmosphere.
There are demands that Oommen Chandy should be declared a saint...
He is already one for me. However, I don’t think Appa would ever wish such a thing.