Oommen Chandy: A man who drew energy from crowds

The corridors of the Kerala Chief Minister's office block at the Government Secretariat in Thiruvananthapuram often resembled a busy street during the Oommen Chandy'S chief ministership.

Chandy, who died on Tuesday, always loved to be among the crowds. His office cabin was also often crowded. He even installed live web streaming at his office to ensure transparency. The 79-year-old Chandy was an easily approachable politician for the common man.

The mass leader hardly sat on the Chief Minister's chair, moved around in the office and met visitors. Even a stranger once sat on the Chief Minister's chair because of this free-for-all policy. No one noticed it until an NRI happened to see it from abroad through the live web streaming.

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The highlight of Chandy's full term as Chief Minister from 2011-16 was his mass contact programmes. Thousands of people got immediate relief from their long-pending grievances. The mass contact programmes where all departments worked at one place even received international attention. 

Chandy, who spent hours continuously without rest or food, listening to the plight of the people, used to say that the crowd was his energy. He received the United Nations Public Service Award in 2013.

Chandy was often hailed for his capacity to understand matters in a jiffy. A former chief secretary once said that owing to the crowd in the Chief Minister's office, officers who turned up for any urgent official discussion at times got only two or three minutes with Chandy. But that brief time was enough for the then-CM to grasp the matter and come out with solutions. He used to personally follow up serious grievances taken up by the people with him and ensure that it was done.

Chandy, who is known as 'OC' in political circles and 'Kunjukunju' in personal circles, was a leader who could be approached at any time. He himself picked up calls to his official residence during odd hours. He personally knew most people in his constituency Puthupally in Kottayam district from where he won 12 Assembly elections in a row since 1970 and earned the recognition of being the longest-serving MLA of the state -- 53 years. 

Many legislators in the Kerala Assembly, including Speaker A N Shamseer, were not even born when Chandy became a legislator at the age of 27.

Even when a major scam involving a con woman rocked his government and attempts were made to malign him personally by raising sexual abuse allegations, Chandy's innocence was proved as state and central investigation agencies could not find any substance in the allegations. 

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Chandy even deposed for hours before a judicial commission appointed by himself to probe the solar scam in 2016.

Chandy, who began his political career with the Kerala Students Union, climbed the ladder swiftly using his leadership qualities and political strategies. He was a close confidant of A K Antony. His open stand had forced Karunakaran to quit the Chief Minister post in 1995 and paved the way for A K Antony's second term.

Chandy's first term as Chief Minister was in 2004 after A K Antony stepped down following poor performance of the party in Kerala in the Lok Sabha elections. Chandy's good rapport helped in keeping the coalition partners together even during times of crisis.