It was just before the Assembly elections in 2016. Then Chief Minister Oommen Chandy was stopped on his way out after an event held in the premises of Government Model LP School in Nadakkavu, Kozhikode, by the voice of a child calling out his name. As he approached, Shivani, a Class one student of the school, informed him how her classmate Amal Krishna was homeless and that his ailing parents were struggling to make both ends meet. What followed is a testament to the compassion of a political leader who went over and beyond his power to keep his word.
Amal Krishna’s dream of a home was realised exactly a year later, in March 2017, but it was not easy for Oommen Chandy, who was no longer the Chief Minister, to make it happen. Though he sanctioned ₹3 lakh instantly from the government coffers when the issue was brought to his notice, the election protocol stood in his way. To avoid delay, Chandy raised the funds with the help of two Kozhikode-based businessmen and promptly handed it over to Amal’s family.
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Inspired by the leader’s actions, a committee was formed, headed by social activist K.P. Vijayakumar, to raise the remaining ₹15 lakh for the house. In October 2016, then Revenue Minister E. Chandrasekharan laid the foundation stone of the house. Oommen Chandy came down to Kozhikode for the housewarming and personally handed over the key to Amal and his parents Sujeesh and Anisha. The family now lives in the four bedroom house in Kunduparamba and makes a steady income by renting out the first floor.
Chandy’s compassion beyond political lines came to light when he reached out to help the family of journalist P. Jibin, despite the advice of the Congress leadership in the district against it.
Jibin, a reporter associated with the Kozhikode unit of Deepika daily, had drowned at Pathankayam waterfall in Kodenchery in 2015. The local Congress leaders dissuaded the Chief Minister from reaching out to the family that was in dire straits, as Jibin’s father was known for his affiliation to the CPI(M). However, Chandy defied them, visited the bereaving family and sanctioned an aid of ₹4 lakh.
