Oommen Chandy, or “OC” as those close to him call him, is not your typical Kerala politician. There may not be another OC for a number of reasons
UPDATE – 11:50 PM, Tuesday – July 23rd 18th
Hyderabad: Oommen Chandy, or “OC” as those close to him call him, is not your typical Kerala politician. There may not be another OC for a number of reasons.
First, he left behind a political record that is hard to beat in an era when politicians have a short shelf life. He was a provincial MP from 1970, when he first ran for the Kerala Legislative Assembly after gaining popularity in the Youth Congress and Kerala State Student Union, until his death on 18 July 2023. This is also from the same constituency in Putupalli, Kottayam district. He has contested every election since then, 12 to be exact. He won every election with a supermajority and subsequently became a minister, leader of the opposition or chief minister.
Chandi, a two-time chief minister, is different from the usual leaders because he is easily accessible at almost any time. When he was surrounded by crowds, he was like on cloud nine, always smiling and listening intently to what everyone had to say. It was also one of the factors that contributed to the huge success of his mass contact program. The mass liaison program launched during his second tenure as chief minister saw him travel from district to district, sitting together for hours, sometimes well past midnight, to receive petitions directly from the people. The initiative won the United Nations Global Public Service Award in 2013.
Another factor that sets him apart is that he has never aspired to go beyond Kerala. Even if his contemporaries like AK Antony and Vayalar Ravi, and the younger generation including Ramesh Chennithala and KC Venugopal, go on to become union ministers or hold state positions, Chandi prefers to stay in Kerala as a provincial assemblyman, His tactics and diplomacy as a statesman have often held together a party otherwise torn apart by bitter factional fighting, and helped it on more than one occasion in the campaign.
For the Putupali, OC or as the older generation call him “Kunjunju”, is always one of them. On Sundays he would be seen in Putupali Church, sitting not in the front row but somewhere in the back of the church, sometimes on the floor in a corner, or near the door. For weddings or events to which he was invited, he would slowly slip into the crowd, stand still, and suddenly realize that the Chief Minister was standing next to you, which often surprised many people.
Even at two in the morning, people could call him on a matter of public concern and he would speak as if he had been awake waiting for that call to ensure justice. The same goes for the media, who memorizes the names of most journalists in each region and has an answer to every question, uncomfortable or not, though he has a knack for answering tough questions.
A Facebook post by his son Chandy Oommen announcing his death in Kerala reflects his status as one of the people. Just one sentence: “Apa is dead.” The country fell into mourning.
