<p>Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Monday said late Congress stalwart Oommen Chandy was not only a good organiser and campaigner of his party, but he excelled in every role assigned to him and worked tirelessly without rest for strengthening the grand old party.</p>.<p>Vijayan said Chandy's demise was a huge loss for the Congress and the opposition UDF led by it and neither would be able to fill the vacuum left by his departure that easily.</p>.<p>The Chief Minister was speaking at the programme organised by Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) at the Ayyankali Hall here to commemorate Chandy, who died in Bengaluru last week.</p>.<p><strong>Also Read | <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/national/national-politics/oommen-chandys-son-likely-to-emerge-as-successor-1239924.html">Oommen Chandy's son likely to emerge as successor</a></strong></p>.<p>As Vijayan walked up to the podium, slogans were shouted from the crowd in support of Chandy and prevented the Chief Minister from commencing his speech for a few seconds.</p>.<p>Only after some Congress party leaders gestured to the crowd to stop, did the sloganeering end and Vijayan was able to start his address.</p>.<p>Vijayan, in his speech, recalled that from his student days, Chandy was active in politics and "was a good campaigner and organiser for the Congress party".</p>.<p>"He was unquestionably one of the great leaders of the party and displayed exemplary leadership qualities," the Chief Minister said.</p>.<p>He also said that Chandy's priority was always to strengthen the party and the front led by it and "for that he worked tirelessly without any rest".</p>.<p>Even when he was ill, he did not shy away from performing his official duties or his obligations as a people's representative, Vijayan said.</p>.<p>The Chief Minister said Chandy's continuous representation of an assembly constituency -- Puthuppally -- for 53 years without a gap in between was a record in itself in the history of parliamentary politics.</p>.<p>"In contrast, there have been many gaps where my political career as a legislator is concerned, even though we both entered the state assembly as MLAs together for the first time in 1970," Vijayan said.</p>.<p>KPCC chief K Sudhakaran, who also spoke at the event, said Chandy was a beloved leader of the people and the farewell accorded to him by the public after his death was an indication of the same.</p>.<p>Sudhakaran said that Chandy was kind and polite when responding to everyone including those who humiliated him over the corruption allegations against him.</p>.<p>The KPCC chief said Chandy was always working to better the lives of the common people and referred to the various schemes -- like providing cochlear implants -- he had initiated for public welfare.</p>.<p>Leader of Opposition in the assembly V D Satheesan too spoke along similar lines and remembered the late Congress stalwart's contributions to the party and the people of the state.</p>.<p>Satheesan said that it was due to the work Chandy put in for the people, which was repaid by the public with their love when he died.</p>.<p>Chandy, who served as the chief minister of Kerala twice, breathed his last in a private hospital in Bengaluru on Tuesday. His end came while undergoing treatment for cancer, party sources said. He was 79.</p>
<p>Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Monday said late Congress stalwart Oommen Chandy was not only a good organiser and campaigner of his party, but he excelled in every role assigned to him and worked tirelessly without rest for strengthening the grand old party.</p>.<p>Vijayan said Chandy's demise was a huge loss for the Congress and the opposition UDF led by it and neither would be able to fill the vacuum left by his departure that easily.</p>.<p>The Chief Minister was speaking at the programme organised by Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) at the Ayyankali Hall here to commemorate Chandy, who died in Bengaluru last week.</p>.<p><strong>Also Read | <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/national/national-politics/oommen-chandys-son-likely-to-emerge-as-successor-1239924.html">Oommen Chandy's son likely to emerge as successor</a></strong></p>.<p>As Vijayan walked up to the podium, slogans were shouted from the crowd in support of Chandy and prevented the Chief Minister from commencing his speech for a few seconds.</p>.<p>Only after some Congress party leaders gestured to the crowd to stop, did the sloganeering end and Vijayan was able to start his address.</p>.<p>Vijayan, in his speech, recalled that from his student days, Chandy was active in politics and "was a good campaigner and organiser for the Congress party".</p>.<p>"He was unquestionably one of the great leaders of the party and displayed exemplary leadership qualities," the Chief Minister said.</p>.<p>He also said that Chandy's priority was always to strengthen the party and the front led by it and "for that he worked tirelessly without any rest".</p>.<p>Even when he was ill, he did not shy away from performing his official duties or his obligations as a people's representative, Vijayan said.</p>.<p>The Chief Minister said Chandy's continuous representation of an assembly constituency -- Puthuppally -- for 53 years without a gap in between was a record in itself in the history of parliamentary politics.</p>.<p>"In contrast, there have been many gaps where my political career as a legislator is concerned, even though we both entered the state assembly as MLAs together for the first time in 1970," Vijayan said.</p>.<p>KPCC chief K Sudhakaran, who also spoke at the event, said Chandy was a beloved leader of the people and the farewell accorded to him by the public after his death was an indication of the same.</p>.<p>Sudhakaran said that Chandy was kind and polite when responding to everyone including those who humiliated him over the corruption allegations against him.</p>.<p>The KPCC chief said Chandy was always working to better the lives of the common people and referred to the various schemes -- like providing cochlear implants -- he had initiated for public welfare.</p>.<p>Leader of Opposition in the assembly V D Satheesan too spoke along similar lines and remembered the late Congress stalwart's contributions to the party and the people of the state.</p>.<p>Satheesan said that it was due to the work Chandy put in for the people, which was repaid by the public with their love when he died.</p>.<p>Chandy, who served as the chief minister of Kerala twice, breathed his last in a private hospital in Bengaluru on Tuesday. His end came while undergoing treatment for cancer, party sources said. He was 79.</p>