In his father's footsteps

Varun Gandhi has adopted the hasty politics of his father Sanjay more than that of Jawaharlal Nehru or Indira Gandhi. Yet, instead of just taking on the name, there is much that Varun can learn from his dynasty

In Indian dynastic politics, the stage of the family remains the same, but the actors change. Thirty-four years ago, it was Sanjay Gandhi who was creating political ruckus, in the days of Emergency. He, with his mother and other cronies like Shukla and Bansilal, facilitated the first non-Congress government in the country, due to their political excess. It virtually ended his party and his own political career. Sanjay Gandhi's brand of dictatorship was seen by some Indians as change and he was willing to offer it at the cost of murdering democracy.u00a0

The recent row over Varun Gandhi's speech in Pilibhit, Uttar Pradesh is unfairly scrutinised by connecting it to the Nehru- Gandhi legacy. Varun Gandhi in his recent avatar was nowhere close to Nehru, but was pretty close to his father. Also, I wonder whether he knows what grandfather Feroze Gandhi's legacy is! But in all fairness, this is not the first time a member of the Nehru-Gandhi family has crossed the Laxman Rekha.

Nehru: 'Don't spare me'
Jawaharlal Nehru was a firm believer of democratic institutions. He was considerate about the views of opposition. Once Atal Behari Vajpayee, as a young man and a first time MP, criticised Nehru's policies in the Parliament. After the debate, Nehru met him and congratulated him on his oratory skills and told him, "You have a bright future in politics."

Prime Minister Nehru allotted plots at K G Marg in New Delhi for media houses. He always wished that the media should not come under corporate funding and the government should facilitate it to make it free and fair. He never failed to tell the famous cartoonist Keshava Shankar Pillai, "Don't spare me!"

Nehru was aware of the fact that post-Independence India was communally sensitive and hence held the values of secularism very high. He admonished President Rajendra Prasad's gesture of inaugurating the Somnath Temple. In his first parliamentary election, he was accused of not being a good Hindu because of his lifestyle and eating habits. His response was clear he didn't want to even add a communal angle to his campaign.

Sanjay and Varun
It's important to dismember Nehru's legacy from Indira Gandhi and Sanjay Gandhi. During the Emergency, singer Kishore Kumar raised his voice in dissent and Sanjay Gandhi ensured that India did not hear his voice on the radio for more than a year. But Sanjay's arrogance and constitutional obsession came from the power he had, or rather his mother had. His sterilisation programme came under criticism and was also seen with suspicion as aiming at a particular community, but there isn't evidence to prove it.

Well, Sanjay at one time was at the helm of affairs, with the ability to change chief ministers and had control on Union Ministers, superseding his mother. If Nehru was alive to see this, he would have hung his head in shame.

The communal movement in Indian politics was accelerated with the 'Mandir Movement' as a political agenda and it continues to linger. Yet it is unfair to compare the legacy of Indira to Varun as she was unquestionable on her secular credentials. She was warned by the intelligence agency to withdraw Sikh guards from her security circuit. She vehemently denied it and argued that it would send a wrong signal to the people of this country. But there is a lot common between Varun and Sanjay and that is impetuousness, unaccountability and arrogance.

Feroze: Objective, righteous
In this legacy drama, Feroze Gandhi and his legitimate legacy is ignored. A journalist by profession, he was objective and unbiased. As an astute parliamentarian, Feroze always stood for the right and unhesitatingly spoke inside and outside the parliament against the government, headed by his own father-in-law.

In 1958, he raised the Haridas Mundhra scandal involving the government-controlled LIC. His campaign against corruption was a huge embarrassment to the Nehru government, which eventually led to the resignation of Finance Minister T T Krishnamchari. Members on the treasury and opposition benches admired Feroze Gandhi for his straightforwardness and righteousness. Today, his legacy is suitably disregarded by his own family, party and country.

Lessons to be learnt
Varun Gandhi has crossed all limits with his hate speech and above all, remains unapologetic. As he struggles to make a mark in Indian politics, he has exemplified how much he respects his own legacy!

He should learn from Nehru to respect institutions and individuals from all communities. He should learn from Feroze to be a vociferous voice, yet be objective and give significance to personal integrity. He should learn from Indira that secularism is true nationalism and great leaders are the ones who are ready to lay their life for the unity of this country. He should learn from Rajiv that young leaders are expected to be modernisers. He should learn from Sonia that how to lead people and fight communal forces, even after being born in Italy.

Varun feels he can get away
Let us not write off Varun Gandhi as political novice. He is well versed with the arithmetic in his constituency after being delimited and knows what suits him. The biggest fear is that the class of young, educated politicians is also divided on communal lines. Whereas, the average young Indian wants a society which is peaceful and avoids divisive politics, elements like Varun Gandhi are reasons for political apathy amongst youngsters. With the legacy attached to him and people reinforcing the same, Varun believes he can behave as recklessly as his father and get away with his nonsense.

Varun became the first from the family to attend the RSS Dussehra celebration in Nagpur with RSS chief and L K Advani. He has grown up with his mother, who disassociated herself from everything called the "legacy of Nehru-Gandhi family". It is futile expecting secularism from him. Do not be surprised if he wins from Pilibhit after the successful polarisation and comes to parliament as Varun 'Modified' Gandhi.