Political Dynasties & Democracy in India
The political parties have started nominating their candidates for various parliamentary seats across the country. As usual they are not able to break out of their two compulsions. One of giving tickets to persons against whom there are charges of corruption and the second is giving it to their wives, sons, daughters and other close relatives. All parties except perhaps the Communists are guilty of these vices which have corroded the political system of our country since decades now.
Even BJP claiming to be a party with a difference has started giving tickets to relatives. Take the recent example of a party in Bihar which has now aligned with the BJP. It has given tickets to the President, his brother and son out of the six seats it will be fighting elections from. Relatives quota is 50%. Another party in Bihar has the wife and daughter in the fray and the father can't contest because he is convicted. And now comes the news that a former BJP central finance minister's son has been given the ticket. The tally is six so far.
The BJP President's son is the general secretary of the party in UP. Also the son of the former CM Kalyan Singh is the party's vice president and has already fought and lost one assembly election. Similar was the fate of another vice president, a son of the BJP MP from Lucknow. Former BJP state president's son was given Lok Sabha ticket in 2009 but he lost. The list goes on.
The Samajwadi Party has broken all dynasty records. It was allegedly reported on a TV channel recently that around 65 members of the family in control of the party were in power one way or the other in UP. The father wants to be PM in Delhi with the son as CM in Lucknow. What Luck!.
In Punjab it is the father, son and daughter-in-law who rule the roost. In J&K it started with the grandfather, father and now the son along with other close relatives enjoying all the powers in the State. In Tamil Nadu it is the ninety-year patriarch along with his sons, daughters and nephews who call the shots once every ten years and latch on to the winning coalition in Delhi to further their interests. In Karnataka it is the father (in and out of BJP), sons and son-in-law who rule their party. Andhra Pradesh has a galaxy of political families, prominent being the party started by the cine star and the one left behind by the CM who met with a tragic death.
Maharashtra also has its share of political families. The patriarch of Mumbai had inducted his son and grandson into politics and the estranged nephew has his own set up. The could-have-been PM has his daughter and nephew deeply rooted in his party and politics. In MP the Singhs, Chouhans and Scindias are among the prominent political families.
However it is little Haryana which has thrown up a large number of dynasties starting with Chaudhry Charan Singh to Devi Lal, Bansi Lal, Bhajan Singh and the present in-power Hooda clan.
However it is the Nehru-Gandhi family which is in focus. Starting with Motilal Nehru, Jawaharlal Nehru, Vijayalaxmi Pandit, Indira Gandhi, Arun Nehru, Sanjay Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi,Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, Maneka Gandhi, Varun Gandhi and a few other cousins etc. It has become the premier political dynasty of the country. They have held the highest posts and shaped the country in a big way.
The above are the political families which are in focus. There are many more families in the states who are very active in politics both in power and in opposition. India has now got politically divided into regions controlled by political dynasties. Is it a good phenomenon ? Surely not but it seems to be growing election by election.
In a study conducted in 2010-11 it was found out that nearly 30% of the MP's were from political families. Those MP's who were less than 30 years of age were 100% from political families, and more than 66% of MP's below 40 years of age were from political families. Another interesting find was that the average age of MP's from political families was 48 years and it was 58 years for others. Thus there is a huge advantage in belonging to a political family. Tickets are easily available at very young ages and the political innings is also longer.
In States it was found that all MP's of RLD in Bihar were from political families. Out of nine NCP MP's seven were from such families as were 2 out of three in J&K. Similarly six out of fourteen MP's in Orissa are from hereditary families in politics. Same is the story from other Indian States.
The dynasty culture is prevalent across the border in Pakistan also led by the Bhutto and Nawaz families. In Sri Lanka and Bangladesh also there are political dynasties either ruling or in opposition. In USA there are the Kennedy's, Bushs and Clintons. In Africa and Latin America also there are large number of political dynasties.
However the issue is, do political families have a place in democracy? Yes, would be the Indian experience and answer. The increasing hereditary nature of our politicians suggests that their commitment to democracy is only skin deep. Shamelessly they further their wives, sons, daughters and other relatives into topmost positions in their parties. In the process they run the parties as their personally owned companies. Till some years ago it was comical to see and hear them defend their relatives participation but now it has become pathological and obsessive compulsion for them to induct their entire families. It is a worrisome development in Indian politics. They are so blinded by love of their sons and daughters that they simply kick their colleagues of long standing and who helped them develop roots in politics out of the party. It is disgraceful.
One of the essence of democracy is the right to dissent. This is simply not possible in family-run political parties. The second casualty is transparency as decisions are highly centralized in the hands of the party supremo. Soon these parties turn into business enterprises. Non-family members are given seats on an auction basis. The party coffers have to be continuously filled with funds by those members who get ministerial berths. The political party's whim and style becomes the will of the people instead of the other way round. Merit is not recognized in these parties. Corruption is seen as a right and new ways of indulging in it are encouraged.
What is interesting is that the prime ministerial hopeful of a national party from every forum derides the scion of the first family of Indian politics but has no qualms in joining hands with family run political parties to fulfill his ambition. His party is also now giving seats to its political leaders kith and kin. So much for political integrity.
It is high time that a rule should be brought that no person can hold a political position for more than two terms. A person cannot be elected to legislatures only for three terms. Politics should not be allowed to become a vocation but a means of an opportunity to serve the nation in a skill contributory manner. Limiting to two terms and three terms will enable more persons with multiple backgrounds and leadership skills to get turn to lead the country in various areas rather then see the same corrupt and lackluster type of low level politics emerging from political dynasties.
India is paying a huge price by Indians supporting political families by electing their kith and kin to power. Our wealth is getting concentrated in few hands instead of going for developmental activities. Leadership is also stagnated and narrow minded. Their whole purpose is to ensure not the country's progress but their political survival for generations. They are therefore ever ready to compromise.
Let us hope Indians vote out the political family candidates. Democracy and political dynasties cannot and should not be allowed to coexist. They are mutually exclusive in the long run. We must preserve our democracy if we are to become a strong nation and not create a few strong families. The initiative lies in the minds of the Indian voters.
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