Organizer of youth congress in Travancore Cochin.

The youth wing of the Indian national Congress was very weak.During the freedom movement there had been a virulent youth movement with in the Congress which had given strong support to the movement. However, with the exist of Shri Jayaprakash Narayan and other socialist leaders from the Congress , subsequent formation of Praja in Socialist Party, the youth movement had been weakened. People like Ram Manohar Lohia had formed the Socialist Party. The Student Congress had dissociated with the Indian national Congress. The Congress had continued to be the largest political party in the national level. Soon the socialist parties had become weak and they had remained in a few pockets. Shri . Jayaprakash Narayan had left active politics and become a ‘ sarvodaya’ worker.The vacuum created by the students Congress and other youth organisations had encouraged the growth of the communal youth organisations. The All India ‘Vidyarthi Parishath’ (Akhila Bharatiya Vidhyarthi Parishad) and’ Rashtriya Swayam Sevak samaj’ (RSS) had been able to recruit a large number of youth to their cadres. The National Congress leadership had recognized the danger of under mining the secular fabric of the national democratic constitution.They had taken decision to organise feeder organisations like the youth Congress and the national students union.   Mrs Indira Gandhi had been nominated to the Congress working committee and had been entrusted with the responsibility of organising the women’s wing and the youth . They had identified organisers in states/regions. Prof: K M Chandy and P P Umer Koya had been given the responsibility of organising youth Congress and students organisations in Travancore Cochin and Malabar region respectively. Prof: Chandy organised youth Congress in Travancore Cochin state. He had recruited a large number of youth under thirty five years. Some of them were Shri A C George, Shri Thiruvarap Paramesharan Nair, Shri Vayalar Ravi, Shri C A Mathew,  Shri KM Chumar, Shri Michael Joseph Manarukattu Shri K. J. Thomas Kurrussimootil, Shri Joseph Monippilly, Shri O V Lukose ,Shri Pala K M Mathew, Shri Thomas Rajan and Shri Kidangannoor Gopalakrishnan Pillai. He had encouraged the reorganisation of National Students Union to Kerala Students Union (KSU). The NSU had largely confined to the Government Law  College Ernakulam and the Maharajas College Ernakulam. Shri George Tharakan had been the President of newly formed KSU. Shri Vayalar Ravi had become the general secretary and Shri M A John and A C Jose had become the secretaries. Prof: Chandy had participated in the the first All India Convention of youth Congress held at Avadi, Madras in January 1957. He had requested the All India Congress Committee to relieve him from organiser’s position on crossing thirty five years, but had continued to give support to the youth Congress activities like a patron. His action has to be viewed in the light of present day youth Congress leaders, who continue in youth leadership after they have attained even 40 years. It was under supervision and physical support of Prof: Chandy and his political supporters like Shri V K Kurian, Shri Mattathil Kuriachan, Shri Joseph Michael Manarukattu, Shri K J Thomas Kurisumoottil, Shri K V John Koickal and others the famous Kurvilangadu training camp had been organised. Shri Vayalur Ravi, Shri M A John, George Tharakan A C Jose, Shri T H Mustafa , Shri Thomas Rajan, O C Leelamma ((Ms Leelamma Jose) and a number of youngsters had participated. Prof: Chandy had inculcated Gandhian and Nehruivian ideology in the young. He had given classes on Indian freedom movement, non aligned foreign policy, secularism and democratic principles. They had invited Shri Jayaprakash Narayan for giving a class.The camp had enabled the Kerala Students Union to become a pan Kerala student movement challenging Indian Students Federation of the Communist Party. Prof: Chandy had continued to patronise youth Congress and KSU. Shri Vayalar Ravi had used to stay at the residence of Prof: K M Chandy. He had stayed there for several months and used Prof: Chandy’s help to organise the student movement. The KSU had taken up the plight of students using the state motor boats for their travel to schools in Kuttanadu region. The Kuttanadu and other coastal areas had only sparse road facilities and they had depended on the water transport facility to reach the school, which had been located in towns like Alapuzha, Ambalapuzha, Haripad and other places. The newly formed communist ministry had steeply increased fairs of the boat services with out taking care of the financial conditions of the students who hailed from the families of the fishermen, the agricultural labourers and the peasants. .KSU had organised a state wide agitation. Soon  The State Transport Corporation had also increased their fair. A state wide agitation under Kerala Students Union had attracted national attention.

The youth and students organisations under Indian national Congress had  thrived and grown only in Kerala and West Bengal. In other states they had wilted under strong opposition from the senior Congress leaders,  who had viewed the youth movement a threat for their leadership. Hence, they suppressed them. In Kerala also the senior leaders had not seen them kindly but Prof: Chandy’s insistence that the youth had to be given prominence in the Congress had resulted in tolerating them. Under strong demand of Prof:K.M. Chandy the youth Congress general Secretary and Kerala Student Union Secretary had been nominated to the KPCC executive. Several active youth workers had emerged during these period. They included Shri Vayalar Ravi, Shri M A John, Shri A C Jose,Shri Nila Lohita Dasan Nadar, Shri A C. Schanmukhadas, Shri Kandannapilly Ramachandran, Shri Kottara Balakrishnan, Shri Mullapilly Ramachandran, Shri T H Mustafa, Shri K Muhammad Ali and Shri A. K. Antony. International level  also the youth Congress of Kerala attracted attention. International youth organisation had continued to send the proceedings of their organisations in the personal address of Prof: K. M. Chandy even after he left youth Congress organisation.

Shri Pala K M Mathew had been given the charge of youth Congress organiser after Prof: K M Chandy had relieved the charge of the youth Congress organisation. Shri Pala K M Mathew soon joined the Malayalam Manorama, where he was given responsibility of organising the All Kerala Children’s organisation. He  successfully organised the best children’s organisation of Kerala, which  formed the recruitment ground for KSU and youth Congress. Shri Oomen Chandy, Shri Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan, Shri V M Sudheeran, Shri Ramesh Chenithala, Shri James Kurian and Shri Kurien Joy and Shri P C Chacko were the Products of All Kerala Children’s Organisation. However, prof: Chandy continued to patronise the student and youth . Shri M A John became the general secretary of youth Congress, which  organised several political struggle against the ruling classes. One such struggle was the agitation against filling of backwaters in ‘Veluthulli’ and releasing it to rich people for real estate purposes. This  generated considerable public support for the youth Congress and the youth Congress  became a strong movement in Kerala. Shri John  developed differences with the senior leaders like Shri T O Bava. He  contested against Shri T O Bava in the election for the KPCC Presidentship. The differences  finally led to the expulsion of Shri M A John from the primary membership. In the KPCC executive everyone expected that the youth Congress nominees would defend Shri John but they  kept quiet. Prof:Chandy  requested the executive not to proceed against Shri John; only C M Stephen  supported this view. Later When the Congress split  occurred in 1969 Prof: Chandy  took imitative to bring back Shri M A John in to the organisation.

After 1969 split of the Congress, the KPCC and executive had to be reorganised. Many veteran leaders had left the party; When reorganisation discussion was progressing, the senior leaders  insisted the vacant positions were to be filled with suitable senior leaders. Prof:Chandy  convinced the senior leaders the need of bringing the youth to the Congress for this he  suggested nominating the youth Congress and the KSU leaders to the existing vacancies of the KPCC executive and Various district Congress committees. Thus Shri A K Antony, Shri Vayalar Ravi, Shri P C Chacko and others were nominated to the KPCC executive. When election to the state assembly was called by the C Achutha Menon ministry, the wing of Indian national Congress had not many veteran leaders. Many Congress leaders  applied for the party tickets to contest; Prof: K M Chandy  insisted that all willing youth leaders should be given a chance. Initially Congress leaders did not agree. With the pressure exerted by Prof: Chandy, the senior leaders  agreed.. This resulted in recruiting a large number of youth under 30 years for contesting the general elections.