Two-time Kerala chief minister and Congress leader Oommen Chandy passed away at a hospital in Bengaluru in the early hours of Tuesday. He was 79 and suffering from cancer.
In a Facebook post, his son Chandy Oommen said the veteran Congress leader passed away around 5:15am. The Kerala government announced a holiday on Tuesday and cancellation of examinations as the news about his death broke.
Oommen Chandy, who was considered one of the key Congress leaders in Kerala, enjoyed a mass base among all social and religious communities. As the chief minister, he was popular for his “janasamparka paripadi (mass outreach programme)” under which he interacted with the public and resolved their problems on the spot. He received a United Nations award for public service in 2013.
Chandy is credited with some of Kerala’s biggest infrastructure projects such as the Kochi Metro, Vizhinjam international seaport, Kannur international airport, and the Kochi-Mangalore GAIL pipeline.
Chandy, the longest-serving member of the Kerala assembly over 12 terms, was first elected a legislator from Puthupally constituency in the Kottayam district in 1970. He continuously represented the seat until his death.
Chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan offered his condolences in a Facebook post, saying an important chapter in Kerala politics has come to an end. “In 1970, I and Oommen Chandy stepped into the Kerala Assembly on the same day. But for most of the years since, I have been in public life outside the Assembly. But Oommen Chandy remained as always in the Assembly. There is no bigger example than this for his bond with the Kerala public.”
Congress leader VD Satheesan told reporters that the former chief minister’s body will be brought to Thiruvananthapuram from Bengaluru on a special aircraft on Tuesday afternoon. It will be taken to his residence in the state capital before public homage at the Congress office.
The body will later be taken to the Thirunakkara ground in Kottayam and his residence in Puthupally. The funeral is scheduled at 2pm at the Puthupally church on Thursday.
Satheesan said the former chief minister was under treatment for a long time and they were hoping that he would recover and lead them again. “His death has pushed us into sadness.”
