A staunch proponent of Indian National Congress and its ideology Oommen Chandy ventured into the political arena as an activist of Kerala Students Union (KSU), the student wing of the party. He had been the State President of KSU and his socio-cultural activism had led him to become the president of All Kerala Balajana Sakhyam. |
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He had emerged as a mass leader when he came out of the Law College, Ernakulam and soon afterwards he entered the mainstream congress politics through Youth Congress in which he served as State President. At the national level he served the party as member of the AICC. As a leader of Indian National Trade Union Congress he led several mass movements for the amelioration of the common man. He has been elected continuously to the state Legislative Assembly from Puthupally constituency since 1970. He was sworn in as chief Minister of the state in the UDF Government on 31.08.2004. He was chosen as Opposition Leader on 25.05.2006. |
For Brisk Realisation of Projects
Pursuing a do-it-now-itself approach in development and administrative matters Oommen Chandy gave a new orientation to Government when he was chief Minister of the State in the Previous UDF ministry. He brought to the awareness of the administrative machinery and the general Public that in a fast changing world brisk conceptualisation and realisation of projects was all the more important. During his short tenure as Chief Minister he could imprint on the Malayalee psyche that efforts to realise mega projects like Vallarpadam Transshipment Terminal, Smarty City, Vizhinjam Mother Port etc. were as important for the development of Kerala as protecting and improving the traditional sectors.
A Chief Minister with a difference
Oommen Chandy as Chief Minister in the last leg of the previous UDF ministry gave Kerala a new experience in solving the problems of the common people. Firstly he established direct empathy with the suffering lot of Kerala’s society. When he wanted to solve them in quickest possible time he found limitations in Government processes. There was also lack of funds. In a whirlwind action tour of the state to find solution to the problem of the suffering he could win over the support of the entire bureaucracy. The oft-repeated complaint that Government officials deliberately complicated matters when it came to helping the common people, to ameliorate their sufferings, was proved not true. They helped him, instead, to find out ways to solve their problems as quick as possible observing official formalities while avoiding waste of time. As chief Minister he came face to face with the hapless and needy in all the fourteen districts of the state.
Hundreds of thousands of unresolved human problems tangled for long in government files were presented before him in all the fourteen districts of the State. It was to his credit that all those concerned with the matters on hand cooperated with his style of administration of overriding blind and thoughtless queries. No wonder a majority of the cases brought before him was solved without the lapse of a day. His name, thus, become a synonym of the effectiveness of a ruler in delivering relief to the needy. |
