Painfully weak and confined to a hospital outside the State, Oommen Chandy could neither reach out to his voters nor advice the Congress or the United Democratic Front leadership on political strategies in his final months. Yet, the torrent of grief and tributes that followed his death on Tuesday showed his extraordinary popularity as a leader and his connect with the masses and political leadership.
“He will continue to give Puthuppally a course to steer by even after death,” says Kunjumon Madakkal, a childhood friend of the late leader. The towering presence of Mr. Chandy as the undisputed leader of Puthuppally, according to him, rendered the village an entirely new identity as the centre of political action.
Also read: Oommen Chandy obituary | Puthupally never broke faith with him
