This week, young Congress leader Chandy Oommen became part of the Kerala assembly as the Puthuppally MLA, a role his father and former chief minister Oommen Chandy held for 53 years. He is well aware that he has really big shoes to fill.
However, Chandy, with his innate political skills, is confident of manoeuvring through the choppy waters of politics. He talks to TNIE about the controversies around the solar scam, allegations of being a ‘lateral entrant’ into electoral politics, groups in Congress, and the importance of keeping political fights from spilling over into the family space
How has life changed for you after becoming MLA?
I get around 300 – 350 calls every day from 7 a.m. to midnight seeking help. Everyone expects me to be like Appa (Oommen Chandy).
Are you scared?
(Chuckles) It’s a herculean task to become like Appa. Sometimes, people get upset if I don’t attend calls. I am a beginner and I have certain difficulties.
Oommen Chandy’s style was never to say ‘no’ to anyone…
That is a problem (laughs).
Are you getting to know Oommen Chandy, the politician, better now?
I knew he rarely said ‘no’ to anyone. But whenever he said ‘no’, they were a strong ‘no’.
Do you recall such an instance?
In 2019, there was a possibility for me to contest in the Lok Sabha elections. But he took a firm stance. It was a decision no one could change.
Saying ‘no’ when required is a good thing, isn’t it?
His style was to convey ‘no’ without saying so (chuckles).
Were you upset at that time?
I did not try for it (Lok Sabha seat). It was people’s wish. I did not push for it because I knew his mind.
Oommen Chandy was among those who had opposed dynasty politics, especially when K Karunakaran’s son K Muraleedharan entered politics…
I don’t know that. But I believed he (Oommen Chandy) was not in favour of my entry when he was around.
There is resentment among youth of your age towards the so-called lateral entry into politics. What is your take on it?
There is no such lateral entry in Kerala.
But what about Uma Thomas, K S Sabarinadhan…? Weren’t they lateral entries?
It’s an entry into electoral politics where a number of factors are in play. At that point of time, only winning matters.
But is it correct to parachute ‘outsiders’ while many local leaders who have toiled for the party get ignored?
It’s a party’s political decision as to who is fit to win that election.
So, you mean to say an opportune moment to win the election led to your candidature?
It was not just about that; my political life of the past 20 years also played a part. I have walked with Rahul Gandhi ji from Kanyakumari to Kashmir. After my father’s demise, the party took such a decision.
Parliamentary politics is the aim of most party workers. Isn’t deciding candidates based on family connections at a particular time a sort of injustice to ordinary party workers?
The Congress has given the opportunity to so many of its cadre. Shafi Parambil, for instance, is a leader who has worked up through the cadre system. In the 2021 election, many people asked me to contest. My name did the rounds in about 40 seats, but I did not contest.
There is a perception that the Congress always looks to win by-elections on the sympathy wave factor. Why is that so?
Every party devises a strategy to win. The CPM, too, did the same in Tripura this time.
The Congress claims there is resentment against the ruling dispensation in Kerala. In such a case, wouldn’t it have been better if it had fielded an ordinary political leader and clinched the victory? That could have been considered a political victory…
This, too, is a political victory. We call it abhimana tharangam, not sahatapa tharangam.
But you dedicated your win to Oommen Chandy. Now you claim it is a political victory…
There are many factors. His (Oommen Chandy’s) performance was not well-assessed in his 12th election. But, thanks to our friends in the LDF, it was thoroughly assessed in the 13th election (the bypoll).
You have got only 4,000 plus votes more than what Oommen Chandy garnered in 2011. If there had been a strong resentment against the government as you claim, the margin should have been much higher, right?
It’s only because votes poured in that I got over 60% of the mandate. It was also the eighth-highest victory margin in the state.
Do you think the margin was not up to party’s expectations?
Many voters were denied their franchise…
Summing up questions on lateral entry, if the Puthuppally verdict was the result of Oommen Chandy’s development works for five decades, any other candidate would have ensured that victory. Why Chandy Oommen?
Of course, but that doesn’t mean that the candidate should not be Chandy Oommen (chuckles).
Dynasty politics is in the DNA of the Congress. Is Chandy Oommen of the view that the so-called lateral entry is not a bad practice?
Politics in India reflects the system around us. There is nothing wrong with one person entering poli
