THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: After KPCC President K Sudhakaran's speech with Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan watching saying that there is no other leader who has been hunted by his political opponents like Oommen Chandy, CPM and Congress leaders have made 'hunting' a discussion.

When LDF convener EP Jayarajan said that neither the Left Front nor the CPM did any hunting against Oommen Chandy, Leader of the Opposition VD Satheesan retorted that it was the CPM and Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan who tried to humiliate Oommen Chandy.

The leaders' war of words came amid a political debate, with the Congress raising objections against KPCC's invitation to the Chief Minister for Oommen Chandy's commemoration and activists shouting slogans for Oommen Chandy when the Chief Minister was about to deliver a speech.

It is interesting to note that the leader of the opposition, who had invited the Chief Minister as per the party's decision, lashed out at the Chief Minister yesterday. Explaining that the Chief Minister was invited by respecting the opinion of all the senior leaders, the Congress leadership took the stand that the controversy was unnecessary. The Congress is aiming to turn the controversy into a political propaganda to inflame sympathy in the Puthupally by-election, along with dispelling the grumblings that have arisen over the same in the party.

Yesterday, the opposition leader alleged that the Left government showed undue interest in leaving the solar case to the CBI. CPM's rebuttal question is whether the vigilance under Oommen Chandy led govt leaving the Lavalin case to the CBI just before the elections after the acquittal of Pinarayi Vijayan in 2005 was a political hounding.

Going a step further, EP Jayarajan also took issue with the use of the ISRO espionage case as a tool in the Congress political war. The spy case was also dragged out during the Karunakaran-Oommen Chandy issue.

Oommen Chandy's mourning procession revealed the depth of his popular support. Kerala saw people thronging everywhere and even after the cremation, the flow of people to his grave is like a pilgrimage. The Congress will hoping to use this in Puthupally by-election.