Oommen Chandy’s sidelining full, no social gathering occasion to conclude year-long MLA golden jubilee

Express News Service

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The yearlong celebrations deliberate to mark the golden jubilee of senior Congress chief Oommen Chandy as a legislator is meant to come back to an finish on Friday. But, by the way, neither the Kottayam District Congress Committee nor the state Congress has deliberate any programme. With this, the sidelining of the veteran chief by the social gathering is sort of full.

It was on September 17 final 12 months at Mammen Mappillai Hall in Kottayam that the then DCC had held an inaugural occasion which noticed 50 personalities from numerous strata of the society attending it. Due to Covid protocol, Oommen Chandy was towards a grand occasion. It was then believed that it could be a relaunch pad for the veteran chief. But the social gathering’s defeat within the native physique elections and meeting elections sealed his prospects as soon as and for all.

The nationwide management and the brand new state management have been upset with Chandy rallying behind his group rival, Ramesh Chennithala, for the Congress Legislative Party chief submit, which additional dented his picture. Over the final one 12 months, Chandy alongside together with his son, Chandy Oommen, has been enterprise numerous aid measures in Puthuppally meeting constituency from the place the previous has received 12 occasions consecutively, which is a file.

“It is true that the former DCC had launched yearlong celebrations to mark Chandy’s golden jubilee as a legislator. On Friday, there are no programmes in Puthuppally. We will organise a programme later,” former Congress Kottayam district chief Joshy Philip informed TNIE.

This is what has upset the chief’s loyalists. On Friday, Chandy will attend a non-public programme at a lodge which can see ace filmmaker Adoor Gopalakrishnan releasing a documentary, ‘The Unknown Warrior’, directed by Makhbool Rahman. “The documentary release is a private event and it has got nothing to do with the Congress party. If the Kottayam DCC was instrumental in launching the year-long celebrations, it should have held a befitting valedictory programme as well,” a senior Congress MP informed TNIE.

‘Veekshanam’, the Congress mouthpiece, was planning to launch a espresso desk ebook, ‘Oommen Chandy; 50 years in Legislative Assembly’. However, Jaison Joseph, former state Congress common secretary and managing director of the newspaper, mentioned the work is in its ultimate levels.