Chandy Oommen urged that allegations against Pinarayi Vijayan and his family follow due process. His stand rejects political retaliation while allowing punishment if wrongdoing is established.
Kottayam,Oct 18, 2026 20:04 IST
Congress MLA Chandy Oommen on Sunday said former Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan should not be hounded over allegations against him and his family, stressing that due process of law must be followed, news agency Press Trust of India reported.
His remarks came amid a debate within the Congress over the state government's initial decision to order a preliminary inquiry, rather than register an FIR, in the alleged Cochin Minerals and Rutile Limited payment case. The Enforcement Directorate had recommended action against Vijayan and his family.
Chandy Oommen said those who had targeted his father and former chief minister Oommen Chandy were now on the other side, but he did not want the same treatment meted out to them. "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, according to PTI.
Congress MLA Mathew Kuzhalnadan had openly expressed concern over the government's initial decision. Kannur MP K Sudhakaran and other party leaders, including Jinto John, supported him.
The leaders referred to the sexual assault case registered against Oommen Chandy after the Left Democratic Front came to power in 2016. They alleged that he had been subjected to a politically motivated campaign. The Central Bureau of Investigation later gave Oommen Chandy a clean chit shortly before his death.
Following the Kerala High Court's intervention, two FIRs were subsequently registered in the case involving Vijayan and his family.
Chandy Oommen said Kuzhalnadan's remarks reflected the sentiments of Congress workers who had witnessed the treatment meted out to his father. "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, he said the legal process should be allowed to take its course without 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 said.
Referring to the case against his father, Chandy Oommen said the previous LDF government had acted hastily on the basis of a complaint. "What did the previous government do? A complaint was hastily obtained in writing, and that haste led to this situation," he said.
He said he followed his father's approach of not holding personal grudges against political opponents. "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 said.
Chandy Oommen also called for mutual respect among political leaders, pointing out that Vijayan was a senior leader and former chief minister. "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 said.
He claimed the biggest difference between the United Democratic Front and the LDF was that the former had "humanity". "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, Kuzhalnadan said he had raised his concerns over the handling of the CMRL case at the appropriate party forum and that the leadership had heard him patiently, PTI reported. "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," he said.
Describing the discussion as a democratic exercise, Kuzhalnadan said Congress leaders could openly express their views even in the presence of the chief minister and senior ministers. "I think this is a privilege that perhaps exists only in the Congress. I do not think a leader or worker in the CPI(M) 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," he said.
Kuzhalnadan said the issue was deeply emotional for Congress workers because they believed Oommen Chandy had been humiliated through the misuse of power. "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 said.
Recalling Oommen Chandy's appearance before the Justice G Sivarajan Commission, Kuzhalnadan said the memory continued to distress him. "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 Kerala and subjected to a trial," he said.
Chandy Oommen maintained that any wrongdoing established through due process should be punished, but opposed acting hastily or targeting Vijayan in retaliation for the treatment of his father. Kuzhalnadan, while defending his concerns over the CMRL case, said he had raised them within the Congress and described the matter as an emotional issue for party workers.
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