Thiruvananthapuram, July 19 Two years after his death, Oommen Chandy’s legacy continues to cast a long shadow over Kerala politics -- and over the ruling CPI(M) in particular.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s emotional speech on Chandy’s second death anniversary on Friday has unsettled the Left, which had already begun projecting Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan’s re-election in the 2026 Assembly polls as a certainty.
While speaker after speaker paid glowing tributes at the commemorative event, it was senior Congress leader and eight-time MLA K.C. Joseph -- a close confidant of Chandy -- who struck a powerful note.
“Chandy, though not alive, will be more powerful than when he was alive,” Joseph said.
Recalling the overwhelming public response during the 30-hour funeral procession from Thiruvananthapuram to Puthuppally two years ago, Joseph told IANS: “I was in the hearse. The sheer number of people lining the roads to pay tribute was beyond anything I’ve witnessed. It was clear to me that Chandy would live on in the hearts of the people.”
Joseph, who served as Culture Minister in Chandy’s 2011-16 cabinet, added, “Many only realised what he was truly made of after he was gone.”
However, it was Rahul Gandhi’s sharp remarks that truly rattled the CPI(M). Without naming any incident, Rahul accused the CPI(M) of launching a malicious and slanderous campaign against Chandy -- a veiled reference to the solar scam case, which the Left repeatedly used to target Chandy and the UDF during the 2016 and 2021 elections.
In a striking comparison, Rahul clubbed the RSS and CPI-M together, saying neither understood empathy -- a quality Chandy embodied.
Though Chandy was exonerated by the courts, the protracted legal and political battles reportedly took a toll on his health.
“The thousands who waited for hours to see him one last time is testimony to the fact that he was haunted and hunted by the CPI-M, but remained fair and dignified,” Joseph said.
The CPI-M, clearly rattled by the impact of Rahul’s speech, responded swiftly. Senior leader and politburo member M.A. Baby criticised the Congress MP, while journalist-turned-Rajya Sabha MP John Brittas, considered close to CM Vijayan, launched a pointed attack on social media.
“Congress seems determined to keep Rahul Gandhi politically naive,” Brittas wrote, adding, “He and his sister launch so-called full-frontal attacks on the RSS from the comfort of Wayanad, the stronghold of their ally IUML -- no risks, all gain.”
Brittas went on to accuse the Congress of historical hypocrisy, citing its role in “unlocking the gates of Babri Masjid, presiding over its demolition, and nurturing the BJP’s leadership ranks.”
In a final swipe, he wrote, “Ironically, much of what Rahul knows about the RSS may have come from our late leader, Sitaram Yechury.”
As political temperatures rise and the 2026 election looms, it’s clear that the memory of Oommen Chandy -- and the way his legacy is invoked -- continues to be a potent force in Kerala’s political landscape.
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