Congress leader AK Antony condoled the death of his colleague and close friend Oommen Chandy on Tuesday, July 18. Speaking to media persons, an emotional Antony said, “The demise of Oommen Chandy is a huge loss for the people of Kerala. It is a loss for Kerala, the Congress party, and the United Democratic Front (UDF).”
Antony added that the death of the veteran leader and two time chief minister of Kerala is also a personal loss for himself and his family. “This is the biggest loss I have faced ever since I entered public life through student politics. His demise is also the biggest loss for my family. I wouldn’t have had a family life had it not been for his pressure.” Recounting how Oommen Chandy and his wife Mariamma connected Antony to his wife Elizabeth, the leader said, “He and his wife Mariamma Oommen are the reason for my family life. She was the one who found my wife.”
“There are many losses. He was one of the biggest people’s leaders Kerala ever saw. At every moment in his life, all he thought about was how to help people. Whoever approached him would not return disappointed. He was thinking of ways to help others even when he was sick,” Antony recalled.
Antony said that Oommen Chandy was a leader who loved the common people and his state of Kerala above all else. “Oommen Chandy is one of the leaders who contributed a lot to the development of Kerala. Ever since he started working as a KSU member, he contributed significantly towards the development of the Indian National Congress, KSU, and Youth Congress, and to strengthen the UDF.”
Oommen Chandy and Antony shared a personal bond that extended beyond their political allegiances. Their friendship went back to their days as student politicians of the Congress’s Kerala Students Union (KSU) “I was KSU general secretary when Antony was president,” Chandy had once said. Antony recollected, “He was my closest friend since my days of student politics in 1962. A friend to whom I open up about everything — there are no secrets between us. Even though we have had some differences in certain approaches, we shared everything with each other.”
“For a long time now, whenever I saw him, I have been deeply pained. This is my biggest loss, this will be my personal pain till my death. For Kerala and for Congress, there is no replacement for Oommen Chandy. Ommen Chandy can be equalled only by Oommen Chandy. When I called his wife, Vava [Mariamma Oommen] was crying. To Vava and his children Maria, Achu, and Chandy and to all other family members, I express my deepest condolences,” Antony said.
In an interview along with his wife Mariamma and children, Oommen Chandy had once recollected how he arranged Antony’s marriage. Mariamma recalled, “I was close with Elizabeth [Antony’s wife] since long back. She worked in the same bank as I, and used to often visit our home. Elizabeth had been receiving several marriage proposals then. That is when Kunju [Oommen Chandy] asked if an alliance with Antony should be considered, after one of his Delhi trips. I quickly asked Elizabeth — she wasn’t in favour of the proposal at first, given that he is a politician. They have a good family life now.”
On the occasion of Antony’s 75th birthday, Oommen Chandy had called him a chief minister who did only the right things. “He was acceptable to the various allies in the UDF. As chief minister, I have had to correct several of my decisions, but Antony never gave rise to such a situation,” Chandy had said.
Political analysts have called Oommen Chandy Antony’s faithful lieutenant, especially through the latter’s last term as chief minister. When the latter stepped down as chief minister in 2004 due to political turmoil, Oommen Chandy was seen as the natural replacement. A Frontline article published at the time of Antony’s resignation had said, “As Antony's confidant and as the convener of the ruling UDF, Oommen Chandy had so far been the troubleshooter, the consensus-maker and the fund-raiser - a trapeze artiste in all the hazy political pressure points in coalition-ruled Kerala, where, significantly, Antony feared to tread.”
Oommen Chandy passed away aged 79 at a Bengaluru hospital early morning on Tuesday, July 18. The veteran Congress leader had been battling cancer. He is survived by wife Mariamma, children Achu Oommen, Chandy Oommen, Maria Oommen, and grandchildren.