Politics, and the power that comes with it, has created rifts in many Indian dynasties. A reader writes in, looking at how the hunger for a seat affects a family's legacy
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A file picture of Sunil and Nargis Dutt, longtime Congress workers, with their son Sanjay, who is now expected to contest on a Samajwadi Party ticket |
Politics, and the power that comes with it, has created rifts in many Indian dynasties. A reader writes in, looking at how the hunger for a seat affects a family's legacy
It is said blood is thicker than water, but not in politics. It is exemplified in the Samajwadi Party's decision to field Sanjay Dutt as a Lok Sabha candidate from Lucknow. A constituency well represented by Atal Bihari Vajpayee. If Sanjay Dutt is cleared by EC to contest Lok Sabha, history repeats itself once more, that political parties leave no chance in creating rifts between happy families.
In one telephonic conversation with Sunil Dutt, I told him that he looked politically alone on issues and viewpoint. He answered, "I was always a loner". He felt he was a political loner, but I believe he was actually politically unique. The work he did for his people was rather popular than populist. He created a constituency so strong that his defeat was unnatural, even when political stalwarts like Balasaheb Thackeray reside in it.
His death created a vacuum, which could not be compensated. Priya and Sanjay Dutt met Mrs Gandhi after some days and it was decided that it would be Priya Dutt who would take this legacy forward. This decision was politically and emotionally correct and in the favour of people of the Mumbai North West parliamentary constituency.
Contradictions or dissimilar political preferences are not new in Indian political families. Sonia and Maneka Gandhi are affiliated to parties which are traditional rivals. Once they lived under the same roof as one family. Sanjay Gandhi's death and circumstantial changes drove Maneka out of the house, taking her away from the Gandhi clan and eventually bringing her closer to the BJP.
Varun Gandhi became the first from the Gandhi family to go through workshops organised by the RSS. This defied the secular and plural convention of the Nehru-Gandhi family. In the 2008 by-election, Maneka wanted Varun to be given a ticket from UP, but the BJP disagreed. If she had remained with the Congress or restored her relationship with Sonia, her political significance would have been larger. But personal disenchantment is larger than being politically correct or even realising which family they belong to.
The family of Lal Bahadur Shastri is no different. Son Anil Shastri is in the Congress and Sunil Shastri has his own 'Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan Forum' (JJJKF). Both suffer from confused political syndrome. But they are united in thinking that their father's good work is not adequately respected and this only happens on his birth and death anniversaries. Anil Shastri lauded the Mulayam Singh government for celebrating his father's birth centenary in the right spirit and criticised the UPA government for not doing enough.
Sunil Shastri had spent 20 years in the Congress and six years in the BJP. In the BJP, his political insignificance grew, which activated him to launch JJJKF. While he quit the BJP, he was reminded of the ideology he belonged to and promised to stay loyal to it. I wonder why he ceased thinking ideologically for six years when he was in the BJP!
Even here, the Samajwadi Party played on the emotions of the sons to instigate Anil Shastri to appreciate what UP Chief Minister was doing for the birth centenary and crossed the party line. In one interview, Sunil Shastri admitted, "Loyalty was one trait which helped my father rise to the top post".
The royal family of Gwalior witnessed Rajmata Vijaya Raje being jailed during the Emergency and son Madhav Rao fled to Nepal to prevaricate arrest. Rajmata's daughter Vasundhara and Yashodhara stuck to BJP and did very well.
Madhav Rao Scindia contested his first parliamentary election at the age of 26 as an independent with support of the Jana Sangh, a party which his family patronised for a long time. Things changed for him during the Emergency. The Congress utilised the vulnerability of the severed ties between mother and son to their advantage. Till the end of their lives, Rajmata Vijaya Raje and her son stayed loyal to respective political establishments.
In Maharashtra, Uddhav Thackeray stays in the Shiv Sena and Raj Thackeray created the MNS. Raj created his outfit believing that he rightfully inherits the political legacy of Balasaheb and Uddhav would prove to be a disaster.
Time proved him wrong. Uddhav didn't allow the Mumbai Municipal Corporation to slip out of the Sena influence and didn't get affected or perturbed by Shiv Sainiks joining MNS. His personal style is calm and composed and surely not aggressive as the Shiv Sena is perceived.
There are many such families for whom politics is more precious than relationships. In Kashmir, Dr Karan Singh is with the Congress and son Ajatshatru with the National Conference. In Orissa, the firebrand Nandini Satpathy started her career with the student's wing of the Communist Party and had a long stint with the Congress. Her son Tathagata Satpathy is a sitting MP of the Biju Janata Dal.
Freedom fighter and staunch Congressman Govind Vallabh Pant's son K C Pant and daughter-in-law Ila Pant are now with the BJP after leaving the Congress. These examples took a different path due to internal political compulsions and shrinking influence in their respective parties. Their opportunism was instrumental in raising them to key positions and they made the best out it.
But the problem is when political parties use their shrewdness to instigate individuals to disown their very own, as well as their principles and values. When Sanjay's verdict came and the court said "he is not a terrorist", his sister Priya reacted by saying, "I wish my father was alive to hear that Sanju is not a terrorist". I wonder how Duttsaab would have reacted to Sanjay's proximity to the SP! It's difficult to ask votes through Sunil Dutt's legacy on a SP ticket.
In Indian politics, it is best to have some patience. Restlessness has misled even seasoned players. Many who deemed that the Congress would reduce to a two digit number in 2004 Lok Sabha and left, fell on their faces with the Congress's astonishing victory. Manoj Kumar, Kumar Sanu, Moushmi Chatterjee, Shravan Rathod, Shakti Kapoor all joined politics before the 2004 general elections, but failed to make a mark. Voters are usually disillusioned with political contradictions. Image is important, but is not the key factor to win elections.
In short, politics is not for all. I still wish all those who are going to switch parties, form new parties and contradict their inheritance, all who believe their party might be the dark horse, all the stars who are assured of a Lok Sabha ticket, but not victory. All the best!
The writer is a public affairs consultant and a post-graduate in political science
