Oommen Chandy unlikely to be opposition leader in Kerala

Devoid of power, 'citizen' Oommen Chandy is all set to establish his earthy connections with fellow citizens. The former Kerala chief minister has also dropped hints that he would not be the leader of opposition in the state's assembly.

"From now on I will travel by bus and trains, and mingle with the people," Chandy told reporters at the Congress state headquarters here.

"On Sunday, in the presence of representatives of the party high command, all the elected legislators of the Congress party will elect the new leader of opposition. It will be a smooth affair," Chandy added.

So the decks have been cleared for former home minister Ramesh Chennithala to become the leader of the opposition in the Kerala assembly, observers said here.

"Though it was mentioned that the three leaders (state Congress president V.M. Sudheeran, Chennithala and Chandy) would be equally responsible for the highs and lows of the election results, I have been the chief and I have more responsibility than the two of them," said Chandy.

It's been a few days since Chandy was voted out of power. He yielded to Communist Party of India-Marxist leader Pinarayi Vijayan who has won a massive mandate to rule the state for the next five years. But there was speculation that Chandy may be the leader of opposition in the Kerala assembly.

However, observers say, the wily Congress leader seems not to be willing to face Vijayan right away, considering the new Left Democratic Front government could put the solar scam under the scanner.

The Vijayan government has also decided to review all the decisions of the previous Chandy government. The former chief minister welcomed the decision, saying that the outcome of the review should be made public.

--IANS

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