Kerala bid a solemn and lingering farewell to the late former Chief Minister Oommen Chandy as the cortege carrying his mortal remains slowly meandered its way from Thiruvananthapuram to the veteran Congress leader’s final resting place at the St. George Orthodox Church cemetery near his ancestral house at Puthuppally in Kottayam district on Wednesday.
Hundreds lined up along the roads to bid adieu to their favourite politician who touched the lives of many through his striking ability to relate to the pain and suffering of fellow citizens almost viscerally.
Also read: Oommen Chandy obituary | Puthupally never broke faith with him
The crowds seemed an attestation to Chandy’s almost palpable empathy that fetched relief in some measure to thousands who sought his arbitration as Chief Minister, Leader of the Opposition, legislator, Congress leader and fellow human.
The KSRTC modified a low-floor air-conditioned bus into a hearse to bear Chandy’s body to Puthuppally. Police vehicles with flashing top lights piloted the motorcade as it taxingly cut a ponderous path through the mourning crowds.
The large turnout forced the motorcade to a snail’s pace as thousands, seemingly dismissive of the pouring rain, mobbed the bus to catch a last and fleeting glimpse of the late Chief Minister.
Notably, it took 11 hours for the hearse to reach Kottarakara from Thiruvananthapuram at 7 p.m. Chandy’s family and a galaxy of top Congress leaders kept vigil at the coffin side.
Simple funeral
Chandy’s family has requested the government to forego State honours mandated by the Cabinet. They said the late leader willed a simple funeral as per Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church rites. Catholicos of the East and Malankara Metropolitan Baselios Mar Thoma Mathews, III, head of the Orthodox Church, will officiate the obsequies on Thursday afternoon.
Also read | Oommen Chandy: a Chief Minister who did not say no
Former Congress president Rahul Gandhi was likely attend the burial along with a constellation of top leaders across Kerala’s socio-political-religious spectrum.
Meanwhile, a Cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan registered deep sorrow over Chandy’s demise. It reminisced about Chandy’s contribution to Kerala’s welfare and development.
The Cabinet noted that Chandy took the parliamentary democratic process forward through his presence in the Kerala Assembly as a law-maker from Puthuppally for an unbroken and politically consequential 53 years.
Chandy’s death has also set in motion for a possible byelection in Puthuppally Assembly constituency. The Legislative secretariat will invariably issue a notification announcing the vacancy left behind by Chandy and send a copy to the Election Commission of India.
