Oommen Chandy is the most popular leader of Congress party. He was also the most popular Chief Minister that Kerala has ever seen. But he has been in ill health for some years. Lately he has become seriously ill and has lost his voice. Big controversies are breaking out about Oommen Chandy’s ill health and treatment.
The most unfortunate thing is that the source of these controversies is within the family itself. Oommen Chandy’s wife Mariamma, eldest daughter Maryam, son Chandy Oommen are on one side and younger daughter Achu Oommen and Oommenchandy’s brother are on the other side. While his wife and son say that Oommen Chandy needs traditional treatment methods, the other side is of the openion that the leader should be given chemotherapy and radiation treatments based on allopathy.
A few days ago, Oommen Chandy was admitted to Neyyattinkara Mims Hospital due to worsening pneumonia. In the wake of treatment controversies, Health Minister Veena George visited him on the Chief Minister’s directive and constituted a medical board for treatment supervision.The Congress party intervened in the matter and announced that Oommen Chandy would be airlifted to Bangalore for treatment.
But a very exciting news is coming out now. Doctors have informed that Oommen Chandy’s health condition is improving and the bipap machine used for breathing has been removed. The decision to move him to Bangalore was abandoned immediately following the improvement in his health. The ranks are hoping that their leader will return to Puthupally healthy.
What’s behind the street fight?
Accurate clues about the real motives behind Oommen Chandy’s treatment contraversy and intentions behind leaking his treatment records being made available to the online medias are now coming out. It can be understood that the power struggle within the family is behind these controversies. Achu Oommen wants the political continuation of Oommen Chandys to be through her. Chandy Oommen, who is currently active in the Youth Congress, was naturally expected to be Oommen Chandy’s political successor. It is an issue that has hurt the Congress party and its ranks that the medical controversies are not due to concerns about Oommen Chandy’s health but rather disputes over succession.
Achu Oommen, who had settled abroad with her family, suddenly activated such a move because the leader’s ill health was approaching an alarming level. The younger daughter’s goal is to lay claim to the succession should anything happen to him. There are allegations within the party that they are being supported by a number of people with strong financial resources. Achu, who previously dabbled in student politics, has a history of complete failure. Chandy Oommen, on the other hand, is working as part of the Youth Congress national leadership. He is also closer to the national leadership as a full-time participant in the Bharat Jodo Yatra. His political experience from winning the post of chairman of St. Stephen’s College, Delhi will also be an asset for him.
The political realities in Puthupally are challenging: But the political realities in Puthupally are not very hopeful for both sides. Even Oommen Chandy won the last general election with a narrow majority. It will be a big blow for the Congress to lose the constituency held by the leader for 50 years in a by-election or a general election. As it is Oommen Chandy’s fortress, the situation of the Congressmen in Puthupalli means that all those who wield the sword assumes themselves to be Chandy’s torch bearers. There are also a handful of prominent leaders in the constituency who are staying away from controversies and are seeking candidature after Oommen Chandy. But the biggest challenge facing the Congress in Puthupally is that none of them can be judged to have a strong chance of winning.
