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THIRUVANANTHAPURAM/BENGALURU — Senior Congress leader Oommen Chandy, who served as the chief minister of Kerala twice, died in Bengaluru in the early hours of Tuesday, his family said.
The death of the former Kerala chief minister was announced by his son, Chandy Oommen, who in a Facebook post said, "Appa has passed away."
[bsa_pro_ad_space id=1]The 79-year-old leader who always stood out in his trademark white cotton shirt and dhoti worn usually with a cordial smile, breathed his last in a private hospital in Bengaluru at 4.25 AM. Chandy was undergoing treatment in Bengaluru for the past few months.
Congress president M Mallikarjun Kharge, top party leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi along with Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and his deputy D K Shivakumar, paid homage to Chandy at former Karnataka minister late T John's residence in Indiranagar.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin, who was in Bengaluru to attend the meeting of opposition parties, was also among the political dignitaries who paid their last respects to Chandy, who was the CM of Kerala twice for a total of seven years (2004 2006 and again from 2011 2016).
Thereafter, the mortal remains of Chandy were brought to Thiruvananthapuram in the afternoon where a massive crowd of party leaders, workers and supporters gathered at the airport to pay their last respects.
The remains would be kept at various places including Durbar hall of the state secretariat, St George Orthodox Syrian Cathedral, the KPCC headquarters and his residence in the state capital for the public to pay their last respects.
On Wednesday his body would be transported by road to Chandy's hometown of Puthuppally in Kottayam district of the state. The funeral would be held there on Thursday.
Social media was rife with condolences pouring in from every quarter once news of his death came out.
President , Prime Minister , several Union Ministers, Chief Ministers of various states and leaders of political parties expressed their grief and conveyed their condolences on social media platforms like Twitter and Facebook.
People of Kerala led by Governor Arif Mohammed Khan, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and political leaders across party affiliations, in the state also mourned his passing.
Khan expressed grief at the passing of Chandy, saying in public life and governance, the veteran Congress leader "left an indelible mark".
Vijayan, who recalls becoming a legislator along with Chandy in 1970, said his demise has ended an important chapter in Kerala politics.
The CM said that only a rare few, in the history of world politics, have been able to achieve the feat of being repeatedly elected to the legislative assembly for more than five decades without defeat even once.
"Oommen Chandy's role in controlling the course of Congress politics for over half a century has always been remarkable. His departure has left an irreparable void in Kerala's political and public sphere," the CM said in his condolence message.
Veteran Congress leader A K Antony turned emotional as he spoke about the demise of Oommen Chandy who stood by him like a rock during the turbulence in the tough political waters of Kerala since the days of their student politics six decades ago.
Fondly remembering former Kerala Chief Minister Chandy, who died at a private hospital in Bengaluru early morning today, the former Defence Minister of the country recalled his influence on his personal life as well.
"It is because of him that I have a family life," Antony, who is also a former Chief Minister, told reporters outside his residence here.
"His untimely demise, therefore, is a huge loss for me, my wife and my family," he added.
Chandy had played a decisive role in building Congress as a mass movement in Kerala, along with senior colleagues A K Antony and Vayalar Ravi.
Born and brought up in a traditional heartland, Puthuppally, near Kottayam, Chandy gained popularity in the state after he became the state president of the KSU with the blessings of Antony and Ravi.
During a period of strong infighting in the Congress state unit, Chandy was seen as a trusted lieutenant of Antony who was the undisputed leader of the anti-Karunakaran faction in the state.
Chandy had a critical role in unseating K Karunakaran as Chief Minister in 1995, which paved the way for Antony's return to the post for the second time.
In 2011, when Chandy became Chief Minister, the Congress-led UDF had only a wafer-thin majority.
However, a sharp politician with exceptional execution skills, Chandy carried on with all the constituents of the UDF and his government completed the tenure.
Leader of UDF Opposition (LoP) in the state assembly V D Satheesan condoled Chandy's death, saying he was a source of comfort and hope for Malayalees across the world.
He never saw people as an opportunity to climb to greater heights nor did he ever wish to enjoy power alone, Satheesan said in a Facebook post.
A homegrown politician, Chandy's six-decade-long political career has been inextricably linked to the ups and downs of his party in Kerala's bipolar political ecosystem.
Kerala assembly's longest-serving MLA and a true-blue Congress worker, Chandy had a sterling record in state politics as he returned to the Assembly 53 years in a row from his home constituency of Puthuppally in Kottayam.
With his simple appearance and pleasant persona with luxuriant hair done carelessly, Chandy had an exceptional record of never betraying ire, even in the face of the most provocative situations.
Chandy faced his severest challenge towards the end of his tenure as CM when the solar scam broke out.
The opposition LDF made a big issue out of the scandal by launching an unsparing campaign, which paved the way for the Congress-led UDF's defeat in the 2016 Assembly polls.
He was later given a clean chit in the case by the CBI.
Besides Vijayan, Antony and Satheesan, Assembly Speaker A N Shamseer, CPI(M) state secretary M V Govindan, various LDF ministers and Union Minister V Muraleedharan, were among the political leaders from Kerala who condoled Chandy's demise.
Social media overflowed with condolence messages from people from all walks of life including film personalities and religious leaders.