THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: One of the last of his political kind, a leader who had an innate knack for endearing himself to the masses. Perhaps, that’s how political Kerala would remember him. His nickname OC could easily have stood for ‘One with the Crowds’. In both life and death, he remained surrounded by crowds. A politician of varied hues, Oommen Chandy’s contribution to Kerala’s political fabric is exceptional.
An unparalleled leader of the masses, the most pragmatic politician of recent times, a master strategist and a champion of development and welfare, Chandy held a unique stature in state politics, and his passing marks the end of an era.
Veteran Congress leader and two-time chief minister Oommen Chandy, 79, breathed his last on Tuesday at a hospital in Bengaluru, where he was undergoing treatment for cancer. The state government has announced a three-day official mourning. His mortal remains were kept for public homage in the state capital and would be taken to his native Puthuppally, where the funeral will be held on Thursday.
The longest-serving legislator of the Kerala assembly, his almost seven-decade-long political career also serves as a pointer to the rigmarole of Kerala politics with all its inherent twists and turns. A master tactician, Chandy never nurtured any unrealistic and romantic notions of idealism.
Entering politics through KSU in the 1960s, at a time when the Congress was led by stalwarts like K Karunakaran, Chandy shared a close bond with A K Antony and remained his trusted lieutenant.
He chose to stay with Antony when the latter parted ways with Congress. Upon return to the party, Chandy was the mastermind within the anti-Karunakaran axis and steered the ‘A’ group in the party.
He played a crucial role in unseating K Karunakaran, following the ISRO spy case. Armed with a rare tactical acumen, Chandy was keen to avoid direct confrontations, yet remained firm on his commitments to both party colleagues and UDF allies.
Quick to win their trust, especially that of the IUML and the Kerala Congress, Chandy, remained for long the unopposed face of UDF and was its biggest crowd-puller.
Undoubtedly, one of the most practical politicians Kerala has ever seen, the manner in which Chandy skillfully manoeuvred the crisscrossing matrix of coalition politics in the UDF, especially during his second chief ministerial term in 2011, will forever remain a lesson for future leaders.
Coming to power with a wafer-thin majority, Chandy never once felt threatened, as he efficiently steered his team through, despite a barrage of allegations that rocked his political as well as personal lives.
Yet, it doesn’t mean Chandy was above criticism. In fact, IUML’s ‘fifth minister row’ did earn him the wrath of secular-minded people, as it evidently led to communal polarisation in the minds of the voters.
Having said that, it was Chandy’s ability to win the trust of both minority and majority communities that kept the UDF alive and kicking even at its lowest ebb.
Not many consider Chandy a tough administrator, especially when compared to K Karunakaran or Pinarayi. But the fact remains that Chandy was bold enough to take some tough calls. In 2013, it was he who rolled out the contributory pension scheme, in the face of stiff resistance. Or, take the case of closing down of bar hotels, where he managed to silence his critics, though the party did pay dearly for it in 2016.
Oommen Chandy’s relations extended beyond political lines, societal barriers
Not only did Chandy manage to complete his second term in office, but was also able to lure an MLA from the Left. He single-handedly waded through the ripples of the solar and bar scandals, fighting battles both within and outside his party and the Front.
Even when he remained the biggest challenge to the Left, Chandy maintained close relations with leaders, cutting across affiliations. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and Oommen Chandy entered the state’s political arena almost around the same time. Two leaders with diametrically opposite characteristics, both of them went on to earn an almost cult-like status among their fan bases. No wonder, despite being political rivals, the two always maintained a mutually respectful equation.
In 2004, when Chandy first took over, he went all out in his support for Kudumbashree, though there was tremendous pressure from fellow leaders to wind up the initiative. He even visited a CPM-ruled panchayat accompanied by a Congress councillor and made a grassroots evaluation, based on which he rooted for the movement.
Similar was the case when he received a complaint against Thomas Isaac. Chandy chose to study it in detail, and when convinced that it was baseless, he chose to ignore it altogether. Humane in his approach, he was genuinely pro-poor and had a way of attracting people, a quality that only seasoned politicians of yore possessed. His historic mass contact programme was indeed a true attempt to reach out to the people.
In his personal life too, Chandy was a man of peculiarities. A leader who firmly believed that politicians should be approachable and accessible to everyone, he maintained close relations with everyone. Chandy was like an open book. That might be the reason why he came up with the almost iconic remark about being vindicated by the ‘court of my conscience’, when faced with accusations that would have crippled any other individual in his place.
As Shashi Tharoor rightly pointed out, there was more to Chandy’s fruitful political life than mere popularity. Kerala may never host another mass leader like Chandy.
Kpcc to observe week-long mourninig
Congress state president K Sudhakaran has announced that the party will observe a week-long mourning to mark the passing of former Chief Minister Oommen Chandy. All public programmes of the Congress, KPCC, feeder organisations and cells have been postponed for a week.
Chandy’s body to arrive in Kottayam today; funeral tomorrow
The body of former Chief Minister Oommen Chandy will be taken to Kottayam from the state capital at 7 AM on Wednesday. The procession, on a KSRTC low-floor bus, and accompanied by supporters and party workers, will head to Kottayam via MC road and will stop at various junctions for the public to pay homage.
The body will also be kept at Thirunakkara Maidan in Kottayam. The body will be brought back to his ancestral house at Puthuppally by late evening. Chandy will be laid to rest at St George church in Puthupally at 2 PM on Thursday.