Published Sep 01, 2023 | 11:58 AM ⚊ Updated Sep 01, 2023 | 12:34 PM
Chandy Oommen (centre) flanked by with senior Congress leaders Rajmohan Unnithan and Ramesh Chennithala during his campaign in Puthuppally. (Supplied)
The Puthupally Assembly constituency in Kerala’s Kottayam district has been a metaphor for anti-Left politics for more than 50 years.
For the first time in 53 years, the Election Commission of India will on 8 September declare someone other than senior Congress leader and two-time chief minister Oommen Chandy as the MLA of Puthuppally.
Chairman of the National Outreach Cell of the Indian Youth Congress Chandy Oommen, who walked the whole stretch of Bharat Jodo Yatra with Rahul Gandhi, is in the fray. He is riding on the popularity and legacy of his father, whose death on 18 July, necessitated the 5 September bypoll in Puthuppally.
The CPI(M) has fielded Jaick C Thomas for the third consecutive time in Puthuppally, hoping to wrest back the seat it had lost to the Congress in 1970. Thomas had in 2021 brought down Oommen Chandy’s victory margin to 9,044 from 27,092 votes in 2016.
South First caught up with Chandy Oommen for a freewheeling conversation. Edited excerpts below:
Q: It has been alleged that you are banking on emotional issues rather than real politics. Are you depending solely on your late father’s legacy?
A: My father’s untimely demise necessitated this by-election. He had served this constituency for 53 years. It is natural for us to recall his contributions during the campaign. It is wrong to say that I am whipping up emotions to win votes. We are talking about the need to continue the good works my father had selflessly carried out for this constituency.
Chandy Oommen during the last journey of his father Oommen Chandy. (Supplied).
I am nothing compared to him. But I hope to continue whatever he had left unfinished. I must be accountable for the faith the constituency had always put in my father. Also, the election will prove the might of Congress and the opposition alliance, the UDF, in the state. The election will reflect the people’s anger against the wrong policies of the Pinarayi Vijayan government.
We are talking real politics here. We are talking about the politics of ordinary people. We remind people that the state requires accommodative politics as espoused by my father. We are not confrontational. We believe in social justice. We believe in coexistence and secular values. We attempt to espouse communal amity and social solidarity in this constituency by contesting in a dignified manner.
Q: The CPI(M) has alleged that Puthuppally has been lagging in development compared to the neighbouring constituencies. The LDF also said that Oommen Chandy had not done anything significant for the constituency in the past 53 years. What is your comment?
A: I don’t know why they are making such false allegations. In reality, he made this constituency one of the leading ones in the country. In this election, I am talking about how he has stood with every family in this constituency. The people here will tell you how he kept them close to his heart and shared their joys and sorrows.
Graffiti supporting Chandy Oommen at Meenadam in Puthuppally. (KA Shaji)
I am proud to talk about what my father has done for this constituency. There were adverse campaigns even when he was alive. Despite all such campaigns, people remained attached to him. When I talked to them during my campaign, they were vocal about the numerous things he had done for the constituency. So, naturally, there will be emotions.
He brought in the Indian Institute of Mass Communication here. The Virus Institute under the School of Medical Education is in this constituency. During the COVID-19 pandemic, 5.5 lakh tests were held here when there were few facilities elsewhere.
He was instrumental in establishing many schools, colleges, and hospitals here. Prominent among them is the Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Technology. He ensured high-quality roads. I am talking about the development work my father had done.
In Puthuppally, people revere him because he stood by them. He was a brother to everyone in this constituency. How does it become an emotional appeal when I share my father’s achievements and contributions?
Q. So, if elected, you are determined to continue your father’s work. What is the margin of votes you are anticipating?
A: I am not making any predictions. It is up to the people to decide whether to elect me or not. Winning or losing an electoral battle is not my concern. I am just a servant of the public. Whatever the electoral outcome, I will continue to be a political and social activist.
Chandy Oommen during the Bharat Jodo Yatra. (Supplied)
My father has left the legacy of working for the people. So, I will work for the people if given the opportunity. As you know, I have been a political activist for almost two decades, though I am entering the electoral fray for the first time.
I have campaigned for my party in different states. I have worked closely with national leaders. I tried my best to implement Congress’s politics. I am not a political novice who sneaked into electoral politics using my father’s death as an excuse. I am a Congress worker. I have never chased power and positions, even when my father occupied influential posts in the party and the government.
Q: Your opponents say your father’s contributions to Puthuppally are superfluous, and that he had not effectively addressed the larger concerns of the constituency. They challenge you to see and evaluate the development in constituencies represented by CPI(M) leaders like Pinarayi Vijayan. What is your response?
A: I, too, have the same to say. I will take you to the constituencies of top CPI (M) leaders. I can take you to their celebrated constituencies in northern Kannur and show you what they have done for the people. Have they done anything for the oppressed and marginalised?
Women voters of Puthupally clicking pictures with Chandy Oommen. (KA Shaji)
Oommen Chandy was the leader of the masses. His strength was low-income people. He always supported people in his constituency. He stood with them, and they stood with him. That is why Puthuppally is now a model that could be emulated elsewhere.
My father had no magic wand. He won hearts with sincerity and dedication. And no sensible person could say that Oommen Chandy had done nothing for the constituency. He was an agent of change. A man of development. His infrastructural and humanitarian initiatives have few parallels. You move around the constituency and convince yourself about his achievements.
Q. How optimistic are you about the poll outcome?
A: It’s all up to the people. I can only request and humbly submit to them. I can only talk about what my father had done and what we can do now. I request the people to consider my candidature and vote for me. People are the masters of any democracy.
Q. How significant is this by-election for the Congress in Kerala?
A: The party high command nominated me as the candidate within four hours of notifying the election. It shows how important this election is to the Congress. The party is using the election to reflect the growing disenchantment in the state against the policies of the Pinarayi Vijayan government. The state’s finances need to be in better shape. There are innumerable corruption charges against the government. There are instances in which the government has undemocratically silenced voices of dissent. We are bringing everything to the people’s attention. The people will give their verdict. We have faith in them.
Achu Oommen with the late Oommen Chandy. (Achu Oommen/ Instagram)
Q. Is the Congress party united in naming you as the candidate?
A: The state leadership has been campaigning for me for the past three weeks. Everyone is working together to ensure our win in this constituency. For the party, Puthuppally is the dress rehearsal for the fast-approaching Lok Sabha election. It will also influence the local body and Assembly elections in the long run.
Q: Did the negative social media campaigns targeting your family disturb you?
A: They are quite unfortunate. They targeted my younger sister, and she filed complaints with the police and the Women’s Commission. Let’s see how the system handles the complaints. Unfortunately, they drag my family into unnecessary controversies. They are not in politics. They never benefited from the illustrious political career of my father. On my part, I am not attacking my opponents.
