Kottayam (Keralam), Oct 18 Congress MLA Chandy Oommen on Sunday said he did not want former chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan to be hounded the way his father and former CM Oommen Chandy was treated, asserting that due process of law should be followed in the allegations against the CPI(M) leader and his family.
“Those who hounded Oommen Chandy are now sitting on the other side. That is a testimony of time. But we are not prepared to hound them. Nature will take care of that,” he told reporters here.
He was responding to the debate within the Congress over the state government’s initial decision to order a preliminary inquiry instead of registering an FIR against Vijayan and his family in the alleged Cochin Minerals and Rutile Limited (CMRL) payment case, as recommended by the Enforcement Directorate (ED).
Congress MLA Mathew Kuzhalnadan had openly expressed concern over the decision, drawing support from Kannur MP K Sudhakaran and other party leaders, including Jinto John.
The leaders cited the registration of a sexual assault case against Oommen Chandy after the LDF came to power in 2016 and alleged that he was subjected to a politically motivated campaign.
Later, the CBI gave a clean chit to Oommen Chandy just before his death.
Following the Kerala High Court’s intervention, two FIRs were subsequently registered in the case involving Vijayan and his family.
Chandy Oommen said Kuzhalnadan’s remarks reflected the sentiments of Congress workers, who had witnessed the treatment meted out to his father.
“What he says is undoubtedly the emotion of a Congress worker. We all saw how a (former) chief minister and Congress leader like Oommen Chandy was hounded. A huge situation was created without any evidence; stories were fabricated, and he was targeted,” he said.
However, Chandy Oommen stressed that the legal process should be allowed to take its course without haste.
“What I have said is that there should be due process. If, after due process, it is found that someone has committed a wrong, they should be punished. There is no doubt about that. But there is no need for haste,” he said.
Referring to the manner in which the case against his father was pursued, he said the previous LDF government had acted hastily on the basis of a complaint.
“What did the previous government do? A complaint was hastily obtained in writing, and that haste led to this situation,” he said.
Chandy Oommen said he followed the approach adopted by his father, who never maintained personal enmity towards political opponents.
“I have my own style. I have always followed the approach of my father. He never held a grudge against anyone, and I have no personal enmity towards anyone either,” he said.
He also called for mutual respect between political leaders, pointing out that Vijayan was a senior leader and a former chief minister.
“There is nothing wrong in showing mutual respect. The Left leadership should understand this. If the Left comes to power again, though I do not know whether that will happen, it should remember such an approach,” he said.
He said that the biggest difference between the UDF and the LDF is that the former has “humanity”.
“This is a humanitarian approach. If we want the law to take its course, there is no need for haste. Just because Pinarayi Vijayan hounded Oommen Chandy, is there any compulsion that we should hound Pinarayi Vijayan in return?” he asked.
Meanwhile, Kuzhalnadan said he had raised his concerns about the handling of the CMRL case within the party forum and that the leadership had patiently heard him.
“I have raised the issues that needed to be discussed with the party and the government it represents within the appropriate forum. They listened patiently and presented their side as well,” he said.
He described the discussion as a democratic exercise, adding that Congress leaders could express their views openly even in the presence of the chief minister and senior ministers.
“I think this is a privilege that perhaps exists only in the Congress. I do not think a leader or worker in the CPI(M) can imagine speaking so freely and fearlessly when the chief minister and senior ministers are present. The Congress is a party with a democratic outlook, and that is why we are in the Congress,” he said.
Kuzhalnadan said the issue was deeply emotional for Congress workers because they believed Oommen Chandy had been humiliated through the misuse of power.
“You have to remember that Pinarayi Vijayan could do what he did because he was in power. Power was misused to target a leader like Oommen Chandy,” he said.
Recalling the former chief minister’s appearance before the Justice G Sivarajan Commission, Kuzhalnadan said the memory still caused him distress.
“When we look at the picture of Oommen Chandy sitting before the Sivarajan Commission with a faint smile, it still hurts us. It was like seeing Christ being tried before Pilate. A man who had done nothing wrong was brought before the people of Keralam and subjected to a trial,” he said.
(PTI News)
