Thiruvananthapuram: One of the popular faces of Congress politics in Kerala and former chief minister Oommen Chandy celebrates his golden jubilee as a legislator with the Kerala State Assembly, today. As an All India Congress Committee (AICC) general secretary, he stated that there is no crisis or confusion within Congress regarding the national leadership regarding the letter written by 23 senior Congress politicians to Sonia Gandhi.
Speaking to ETV Bharat on the occasion of his golden jubilee as a Congress legislator, Chandy said, "There is absolutely no issue in the national leadership. All the leaders wish that Rahul Gandhi takes up the leadership role. Those who wrote to Sonia Gandhi also said that it is high time Rahul Gandhi takes up the responsibility."
"There is no issue in the national leadership. In a country like India, only a leader like Rahul Gandhi can gain the trust and confidence of the people of all segments. Hence, he must take up the leadership role at the national level. Only the Congress party can protect the interests of India and move forward in time, he said.
The journey which began from Puthuppally constituency in 1970 September 17 to the Assembly continues today, 50 years thereafter. Even though Oommen Chandy had decided against any kind of celebrations considering the COVID situation in Kerala, the Congress leaders and workers across Kerala are celebrating the day.
Born on 1943 October 31, to the couple Puthuppally Karottu Vallakalil O K Chandy and Baby, Oommen Chandy started his political life through the Kerala Students Union, a student organisation affiliated to the Congress.
The 1958 protests by the KSU changed his political career. In 1967, Chandy became the State President of KSU. In 1969, he was elected the state president of Youth Congress, a youth wing of the Congress party.
The very next year, while serving as the Youth Congress State president, Oommen Chandy faced the first assembly elections from Puthuppally Constituency in Kottayam. Though political analysts had then predicted a defeat, Chandy won by 7288 votes against the sitting MLA and CPM leader E M George, becoming a legislator at 27 years.
In the same elections, other four Youth Congress leaders all aged below 30 had also entered the State Assembly along with Chandy. In the second win, in 1977, Oommen Chandy’s majority increased to 15910 votes, this time against P C Cherian, a Janatha Party leader. In the K Karunakaran led cabinet in Kerala, Oommen Chandy became a Minister for the first time and was entrusted with the Labour department by Karunakaran.
Following the Rajan murder case and the controversy, Karunakaran resigned and A K Antony took charge as the Chief Minister, while Oommen Chandy had continued as the Labour Minister. In 1980, Oommen Chandy won the elections for the third time, serving in LDF-UDF alliance.
As part of a split in the Congress party at the national level, the breakaway faction named Congress U - which Oommen Chandy was associated to- was part of the LDF. Later, this faction which came to be known as Congress A, and joined the Congress faction led by Indira Gandhi at the National level. In 1981, as the Congress A faction withdrew its support to the ruling LDF, the cabinet led by E K Nayanar crashed.
Then, in the cabinet formed under the leadership of K Karunakaran, Oommen Chandy became the Home Minister. In the 1982 elections, he won the 4th time by a margin of 15983 votes. Though his name was being thought of as a Minister in the cabinet formed by Karunakaran, Oommen Chandy recommended Cyriac John and stepped down as the Minister. He went on to be the convenor of the United Democratic Front (UDF) led by the Congress and also took charge as the leader of the Congress Parliamentary Party.
Towards the end of the term of the Congress-led Government, Oommen Chandy resigned from the position of the UDF convenor following opinion differences with K Karunakaran.
Read: Former Kerala CM Oommen Chandy chronicles his 50 years as a legislator
In the group politics of Congress party, Oommen Chandy remained trustworthy to A K Antony and continued to be an opponent to Karunakaran.
In 1987 and 1991, V N Vasavan was Chandy’s opponent. In the Karunakaran cabinet which came to power yet again in 1991, Chandy became the Finance Minister. The trail of arguments and differences regarding the election within the Congress party which began in 1992 and continued till 1994, Oommen Chandy finally resigned from the Karunakaran cabinet.
Later, following the issues within the Congress party, Karunakaran also had to tender his resignation in 1995. Though A K Antony took over as the Chief Minister, Oommen Chandy did not join the cabinet. Chandy defeated CPM’s Reji Zacharia Oommen in 1996 and Cherian Philip in 2001.
Though Antony became the Chief Minister after the front won elections in 2001, K V Thomas became the Minister instead of Oommen Chandy. Owing to the massive defeat faced by the UDF in 2004 Lok Sabha elections, A K Antony resigned from the Chief Minister’s office. Then, in 2004 August, Oommen Chandy became the Chief Minister of Kerala.
When the UDF failed in the 2006 assembly elections, Chandy became the Opposition Leader in the State Assembly. In 2011, he won again from Puthuppally and became the Chief Minister.
However, the image of the Chandy Government was tainted with controversies including solar scam, bar bribery and such cases. In 2016, Chandy defeated Jaik P Thomas and reached the Assembly again. However, Ramesh Chennithala became the Congress Parliamentary party leader and the Opposition leader. Even while staying away from the frontline politics of the Congress party, Chandy had led the party by rising to the occasion whenever necessary.
Chandy is a rare Congress leader in the Indian political map, who has continuously won from the same constituency in 11 consecutive elections and now has completed 50 years as a legislator in Kerala. Chandy, fondly called Kunjoonju by the people of Puthuppally, is all set to be all the more active in Congress leadership turning his golden jubilee in the Assembly as an opportunity to make a mark in the public minds while another assembly election is ensuing.
Also read: Congress in Kerala warms up as Chandy gets more active
