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.
Also read: Puthuppally, a place where masses reached out to their leader Oommen Chandy
