From the India Gate: Lessons from 'Chandyism', eve 'Shakti' and more

Dear God, 
Bearer of this letter, Mr Oommen Chandy, is a gentle soul who has helped millions of Keralites while alive. He was always accessible. He doesn’t know how to seek a favour for himself. And, hence this letter.  Kindly consider favourably and take good care of our Chandy Sir.
With Prayers, Angels.

This "letter" to God is similar to the format used by the former chief minister and Congress leader, Oommen Chandy, who passed away recently, to introduce a needy soul to the authorities concerned. And it is only one among the millions of tributes netizens are paying to the departed leader. His cortege took 36 hours to wade through a 160-km sea of humanity that flooded the road from Thiruvananthapuram to Puthuppally in Kottayam district. Hundreds of mourners narrated how Chandy’s intervention changed their lives.

As a political observer, one can retell a thousand such stories. But it is his personality traits that always bemused.

He never had a private moment: Even outside the bathroom door, people waited for him to step out to hand over their requests. Clad just in his khadi dhoti, he would receive them and issue directions to the concerned.

Unkempt hair: That was his hallmark. He never bothered to comb his hair. People close to him say he couldn’t snatch a minute for reaching out for a comb after a bath.

Pocket Diary: Chandy always carried a pocket diary. Not even his close aide could decipher the jottings. But Chandy ensured that he maintained the schedule marked in the book. Even in the cyber era, organizers would ensure that Chandy entered the event in his code language on a relevant page to confirm his participation.

Chandyism: That is what his close aides call these mannerisms. He never asked the caste or politics of anyone who approached him for help. And this was attested to by the testimonies given by many tear-stained faces in choked voices.

Footnote: Incumbent CM Pinarayi Vijayan has kept himself away from the masses. He moves with a heavy escort and in a cavalcade with about 50 vehicles. Chandy moved without an escort or pilot car. Than his torn shirt, Chandy had no security blanket on him.

Chandy’s death has suddenly drawn a parallel. Those in red castles won’t ever realize the distance between them and people as they climb higher and higher. Is it time for Communism to learn from Chandyism? Maybe!

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EVE 'SHAKTI'

Shakti scheme in Karnataka, which offers free travel for women in state-run buses, has become a toast to many debates. But not all of them are healthy or to the point. In a recent discussion in the Karnataka legislative council, the opposition criticized the government citing that the scheme was offering rides only in non-A/C buses. But BJP's A Devegowda’s comment saw the issue driving through some rough roads.

Devegowda said women were taking free buses to "go everywhere". The Congress, led by S Ravi, immediately demanded a clarification on the term "everywhere".

Ravi said it was absolutely derogatory to use "everywhere" while referring to women who use the free buses. Ravi tried to loop in BJP's Tejaswini Gowda in an attempt to fish for a comment.

Tejaswini, however, supported Devegowda and said the latter hadn’t meant any insult to women.

JDS member Tibbe Gowda, however, missed the point and quipped:  "If the ruling party had made such a statement about women, Tejaswini would have fallen on top." This opened another round of sound and fury with Tejaswini demanding clarification on what was meant by "falling on top". But Tibbegowda simply fell silent!

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FIN DE L’ÁFFAIRE 

There was a huge spat over the "transfer deals" in the Karnataka Assembly when BJP MLA Yatnal and Congress Minister Byrathi Suresh locked horns over the issue.

Byrathi Suresh, somehow, managed mainly with the support of Uday Garudachar, MLA. Byrathi felt Uday was supporting Yatnal. Later, when Byrathi and Garudachaar came face-to-face at the Vidhana Soudha lounge, there was a friendly sparring. "Did I do any deal?  Don't you know about my business? Why did you support Yatnal," Byrathi asked.

'What Yatnal said was wrong, but let's continue our usual 'affairs', said Gardudachar on a lighter note. But other members had a gala time urging both of them to explain what they meant by "affairs".

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TRUE LIES 

Sunil Kanugolu, the strategist behind Congress’ Karnataka victory, has been roped in by the party to plot its path in Telangana. But surprising everybody, Sunil was "redeployed" to focus on Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh. Shashikanth Senthil, a former IAS officer, will take his place in Telangana.

Rumour mills say Sunil’s idea to join hands with Y S Sharmila triggered this move. In his report, he said Sharmila’s entry would have a positive impact in the regions of Greater Hyderabad, Rangareddy and Khammam districts. This strategy was rejected by state party president Revanth Reddy and resulted in Sunil’s exit.

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AFTERSHOCKS

Even an earthquake is not powerful enough to wake a sleep Netaji up.

Tremors were first felt around 4 am on July 21. This was followed by two more quakes. But the top Neta was blissfully sleeping when panic gripped the whole city. His first response came some five hours after the first jolt.

In fact, a prominent BJP leader living in another city messaged within a couple of hours seeking the well-being of people in the affected areas. But Netaji's Twitter chirped only around 9.30 am. 

BEATING RETREAT

No event is complete without drumbeats in Tamil Nadu. Naturally, when a popular actor launched his political career with 'drums' as his party’s symbol it resonated well with the electorate.

He could drum up enough support to become the Leader of the Opposition with the blessings of Amma’s party. But a few of his speeches which attacked 'Amma' and her partymen resulted in cacophony forcing the actor to seek refuge in the BJP camp.

But this experiment was discarded after drubbings at the hustings in 2019. BJP recently held a strategy meeting to prepare for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. Even single-MLA parties were invited. But the actor’s party was kept out. This shocked him and forced him to beat retreat. Last heard is that he is playing the drums aloud to draw the attention of the ruling party with the hope of joining their band before 2024.

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