Known for his crowd-pulling skills, ingenious political acumen and unwavering commitment to his followers, Oommen Chandy was an extraordinary politician who nonetheless spurned national opportunities and chose to remain confined to Kerala. He wasn’t ambitious in a reckless fashion. To some extent, he was self-effacing and friends with leaders of all political parties. A quintessential Kerala politician of a generation that was catapulted into mainstream politics through student activism, Chandy’s demise leaves a profound void in Kerala’s political landscape at a time when it needs peaceniks like him the most. Besides being an astute and pragmatic politician, he was destined to become one of the most amiable and popular faces in state politics.
The most important quality of Oommen Chandy was his phenomenal presence amongst the people – he was always amidst the adoring masses. He dwelled among the masses and there was hardly any occasion when he distanced from them. The way he connected with individuals from all walks of life has become part of the state’s political folklore. With other prominent Congress leaders like the late K. Karunakaran and A.K. Antony retired from public life, Chandy’s demise means curtains for a grand era of Congress politics and the end of the titans in politics.
Representing a constituency consecutively for more than five decades is a remarkable feat very few could achieve in the world. Elected to the Legislative Assembly of Kerala from Puthuppally, a suburb of Kottayam, in 1970, Chandy’s upward trajectory remained unchallenged until his death. Interestingly, during the assembly elections, rivals used to skip campaigning in this constituency so as not to waste their time on what was Chandy’s turf. While it is customary to highlight his administrative acumen as a two-time chief minister of the state, Chandy’s remarkable ability to connect with the masses outshines every other attribute of his. Half in jest, people used to say that with his admirers and visitors following him all the time, Chandy wouldn’t get a moment of solitude to go to the toilet alone. Except when he slept, which was only a few hours, one couldn’t see him without being surrounded by scores of people. Many a time, he struggled to find space in his own car where Congressmen used to even sit on the lap of others. His personal and political lives intertwined seamlessly, making him a leader whose distinction between the two realms was imperceptible.
For decades, the Congress in Kerala had two warring factions, one led by K. Karunakaran and the other by A.K. Antony. Nonetheless, it was Chandy who shouldered the whole burden of steering the party, organisationally and politically. As a master multitasker, even while advancing the Congress narrative, he could skilfully weave out a rainbow coalition against the Left Democratic Front in Kerala. This writer had the privilege of observing and interacting with him for over three decades. One thing that always struck me was his innate ability to remain unprovoked even in the most hostile moments. The disarming smile and the artificial stammer served as his natural shields during confrontations. The late E.M.S. Namboodiripad, the CPI(M) patriarch, used to ponder over what to say next by employing pauses between sentences on account of his natural stammering. Chandy recreated it in his style.
He would be at his aggressive best at one moment in the state assembly, but in the next, he would invariably uphold the golden virtues of rapprochement, tolerance and accommodation. He belonged to a rare breed of politicians for whom there were no enemies but only adversaries.
What exactly did he lack despite all his other great qualities? In hindsight, he would have acknowledged the need for more prudence and caution before taking decisions. The way in which he struggled to accommodate anyone and everyone had a disastrous effect on his political career. He also didn’t take good care of his health as he tried to cope with the rapidly changing dynamics of Congress politics and was always reluctant to shift out of Kerala. It was common knowledge that he reluctantly took up the charge of the Congress party in Andhra Pradesh and his days in Delhi were like a fish out of water.
Chandy was a lexicon of sorts for the average Congress worker to pick up political vocabulary from. He rose through the ranks, starting with student politics and became an icon for his ardent followers. His simplicity, attire, and even his hairstyle were always the talk of the town. Kerala was rife with jokes about his torn clothes and his aversion to combing his hair. During an interview, this writer asked him whether there was any truth to the jokes being spread by his former colleagues that he deliberately used a blade to tear his clothes and deliberately rearranged his hair even after combing to master a “carefully careless” appearance. As expected, he just laughed off the allegations in a gracious way.
At a a time when ideological positions get blurred and leaders cross over at ease, Chandy steadfastly held the Congress flag high.
As we bid farewell to this seasoned leader, we are at a point in Indian history where bipartisanship is the biggest casualty of an authoritarian rule. He was a votary for peace and a gentleman-politician who understood the role of love in politics – to the people as well as towards his bitterest rivals.
John Brittas is a Rajya Sabha member.
