Political Diary

New Delhi, 1 February 2022

Invoking Dynastic Gods

FAMILIAL BRAT PACK!

By Poonam I Kaushish

In our electoral dance of democracy this week’s flavour is pedigree. No, I am not talking about the canine variety, but our political lineage. Wherein, Parties are busy invoking dynastic Gods to reap rich political dividends in the coming Assembly polls. A fool-proof way for India’s polity going to dogs!

If Indian democracy rests on the one-man-one vote principle, elections are all about one family and as many tickets as you can wangle norm. Be it BJP, Congress, SP, BSP etc. Saffronites  might scoff at Congress’s dynastic politics breeding “termites” but it too stands “Congressised” with its fair share of aankhon ka tara son-daughter in politics.

The family tussle making waves in UP is Samajwadi Chief Akhilesh Yadav’s sister-in-law Aparna wife of half brother Prateek joining BJP, also driven by ambition is a SP miya-BJP biwi jhaghra, BJP beti-SP baap fight, BJP-SP twins and royalty clash in the ensuing Assembly polls. While many Ministers, MPs and MLAs continuously clamour for their progenies getting tickets.

In Uttarakhand both BJP-Congress are busy trying to cash on veteran leaders: parents, father-in-law, husband, brother’s prestige by giving over 20% Assembly seats to political families. BJP has fielded wives of four MLA’s, ladlas-ladlis of another four and brother of one. Congress has pitted former Cabinet Minister daughter-in-law against another stalwart’s son.

Questionably, what is about dynasty’s that attract people? One, majority of our electorate is angootha chaap, hence people relate to a neta over Party. Two, what’s wrong in capitalizing on family brand and providing a ready field to the santaan to continue the legacy?

Today, BJP boasts of a surfeit. From the other Gandhis — Maneka-Varun, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh’s son, deceased Sahib Singh’s beta alongside erstwhile Union Minister Yashwant Sinha and Himachal Chief Minister Dhumal ladlas,  late Promod Mahajan and Munde’s daughters and MP strongman Vijayvargiya son.

The entire Gwalior Scindia family has smoothly transitioned from monarchy to politics: Congress late Madhav’s son Jyotrimayditya is Union Civil Aviation Minister in Modi’s Sarkar and bahen-ex Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara’s ladla MP. In the 2019 Rajasthan, MP and Chhattisgarh Assembly elections of BJP’s 75 new faces 33 were sons-daughters of leaders aged over 75 years.

Ironically, even as Rahul harps on democratising the Congress yet patriarchy and familial ties continue to be the buzzword. Sister Priyanka is General Secretary and UP-in-charge, ex-Finance Minister Chidambaram and former Madhya Pradesh, Assam and Haryana Chief Ministers Kamal Nath, Gogoi and Hooda’s sons and  Punjab’s Raja Amrinder’s Rani MPs, late Rajesh Pilot son is Rajasthan PCC Chief while Jitendra Prasad putra is Mantri in Yogi’s UP after defecting. Ex-Union Minister Santosh Mohan Dev’s beti is TMC’s Rajya Sabha MP.

Clearly, India has entered the era of oligarchy. Scandalously, in the present Lok Sabha 57 MPs or 30% belong to political families. Think, 28 beta-beti politicians claimed “their birthright of carrying forward the family legacy.” They hail from J&K to Tamil Nadu, Nagaland to Maharashtra and heartland UP, MP and Bihar.

Less said the better of regional Parties. In Bihar Lalu-Rabri family concern Pati, Patni aur Parivar RJD has ladli Misa in Rajya Sabha, while her sibling Teshaswi is Party Chief, brother Tej Pratap fights for the family’s political spoils. RLD’s Jayant Chaudhry is late Union Minister Ajit Singh’s putra, Punjab’s Akali father-son-daughter-in-law shop of Badals’ TDP’s Naidu’s and TRS Rao’s beta-beti, Mamata and Pawar’s  bhatijas, Mayawati’s bhai and  Omar Abdullah, who’s followed father Farooq and grandfather Sheikh and PDP’s Mehbooba who took-over the baton from daddy dearest in Kashmir.

Underscoring as never before that not only is our political system weak, worse it is dominated by microcosmic monarchies comprising individuals rather than strong political institutions. Also,   political legatees are getting younger, hungrier and meaner. Haryana, Tamil Nadu and Odisha are classic cases where dynasty rules the roost. You simply cannot aspire to achieve anything worthwhile in politics if you are not the son or daughter of a prominent leader.

DMK’s late patriarch Karunanidhi’s son Stalin rules Tamil Nadu while half-sister is Rajya Sabha MP.  In Odisha BJD’s Naveen is strongman Biju’s Patnaik son. In Haryana, besides Hooda, Rao Birendra Singh and Surjewala have their sons, erstwhile Chief Minister Devi Lal’s progenies have regional outfits.  Ajay Chautala’s son Dushyant is State Dy Chief Minister.  A never ending lineage wherein polls and Parties are one.

All parroting the same hackneyed diatribe.  Only our dynasty can provide a Government of the people, by the people and for the people.  Sprinkled liberally with loads of balidaan and desh bhakti.  Hoping that a billion plus vassals will be mesmerized by dynastic Gods to shower blessing.  What is material is not whether the candidates are deserving but that they are “made deserving”, by virtue of their hereditary factor.

Undeniably, we are still unabashedly feudal in our outlook and jo hukum thought process, notwithstanding that dynasty is an antithesis to democracy and electoral politics. Most elected leaders prefer to function in the style of old feudal lords.  Party tickets are distributed not on the basis of merit, but feudal laws and connections.  If a Minister dies, give his place to the wife, son or daughter. 

This is today’s political culture: Of a shameless feudalistic India. Asserted a senior family patriarch: “Is it not normal for the offspring of mice to dig burrows? Children of political parents will know politics best.” Perhaps the best way to explain a rat race!

Leading to a situation where most Parties are subservient to one supreme leader. He or she can therefore wilfully impose their offspring on the Party. All one has to possess is a big and famous name, no prior experience in governance and one can aspire to be the one calling the shots. Constituencies are handed over as a jagir is handed over to the heirs.

Consequently, in a milieu where politics has transcended to business, a political family like a business house is busy leveraging its assets. Under the misconception it owns a constituency and has the right to pass it on to whomever it pleases, thereby reducing ‘worthy candidates’ into a farce. It’s all about bhaichara. 

Sadly, deserving candidates and Party workers are dumped as principles are unceremoniously buried thereby, creating confusion, causing rifts and fist flights.  Indeed, all Parties have their share of black eyes. Resultant in sons, daughters and sons-in-law becoming an integral part of statecraft --- leading to new rules, guidelines and extra-Constitutional centres of power. Bringing matters to such a pass that a neta’s clout is gauged by who and how many family members he has got accommodated as Party candidates. 

What next? For starters Parties need to realize that "dynasty" is a sword that cuts both ways. The feudal factor is proving to be more of a liability than an asset. Plainly, as the aam janata’s awareness of their rights increases, it would be politically prudent to hoot for democracy over dynasty.

It needs to be remembered that the best political systems are based on holding free,  fair and regular Party elections.  In the long run, short-term hereditary gains would sound the death-knell of the Indian polity.  The time has come to uphold true democracy. Or else continue to wallow in the political cesspool which hails the rising family ---- the new rajas and ranis and my feudal India. ---- INFA               

 (Copyright, India News & Feature Alliance)