‘No need to hound Pinarayi as he did my father’: Chandy Oommen urges due process in CMRL case

Kottayam (Kerala): Congress MLA Chandy Oommen on Sunday stated that he did not want former chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan to face the same political "hounding" that his late father and late chief Minister Oommen Chandy endured, asserting that the law should strictly take its course regarding allegations against the CPM 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 in Kottayam.

His remarks came amid internal debate within the Congress regarding the state government's initial decision to seek a preliminary inquiry rather than immediately 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).

Following the intervention of the Kerala High Court, two FIRs were subsequently registered in connection with the CMRL case.

Congress MLA Mathew Kuzhalnadan had openly expressed concerns over the handling of the case, receiving support from Kannur MP K Sudhakaran and other senior party leaders, including Jinto John. The leaders pointed to the registration of a sexual assault case against Oommen Chandy after the LDF assumed power in 2016, alleging he was subjected to a politically motivated campaign. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) eventually cleared Oommen Chandy of all charges shortly before his passing.

Chandy Oommen acknowledged that Kuzhalnadan's statements reflected the genuine feelings of party workers who had witnessed his father's trial. “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 emphasised that legal procedures should proceed methodically without political 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 stated, contrasting this with the LDF administration's past actions.

“What did the previous government do? A complaint was hastily obtained in writing, and that haste led to this situation,” he added.

Affirming his adherence to his father's political philosophy, Chandy Oommen stressed the importance of mutual respect among political figures. “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 noted, adding, “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 asserted that empathy distinguished the UDF from its political rivals. “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, Mathew Kuzhalnadan confirmed he had raised his concerns regarding the CMRL case within the party's internal forums. “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,” Kuzhalnadan said, characterising the dialogue as a mark of internal democracy.

“I think this is a privilege that perhaps exists only in the Congress. I do not think a leader or worker in the CPM 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,” Kuzhalnadan said.

Kuzhalnadan reiterated that the issue remained deeply emotional for party supporters who felt Oommen Chandy had been unfairly targeted. “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 asserted.

Recalling the former Chief Minister's appearance before the Justice G Sivarajan Commission, Kuzhalnadan added, “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.”

PTI