The BJP started its campaign against the Congress even before the Congress came to power at the Center in 2014. The Congress party’s election campaign included accusations of corruption and Muslim appeasement, particularly of family politics, but these now seem irrelevant. Because the Bharatiya Janata Party, which is against dynastic politics, gave tickets to relatives of many leaders in the Haryana assembly elections. In Jharkhand, many relatives of BJP leaders also got tickets – a similar scene was witnessed in Maharashtra.
Congress has nominated Priyanka Gandhi Vadra as its candidate from Wayanad constituency in Kerala that was left by Rahul Gandhi. On the occasion of Priyanka Gandhi’s nomination, the whole Gandhi family was present in Wayanad – Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, former Congress president Sonia Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi husband Robert Vadra. As Congress president, Malikajun Haq must be present.
The Congress leadership has assumed that Priyanka Gandhi Vadra will enter the Lok Sabha after winning the Wayanad elections, however, this will be seen in a formal form only after the election results are announced . In fact, Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh has also said that Priyanka Gandhi can enter the Assembly by winning a by-election anywhere.
If the election results go in favor of the Congress, Priyanka Gandhi will enter the Lok Sabha when Rahul Gandhi enters the Lok Sabha and Sonia Gandhi is already in the Lok Sabha – and what could be more dynastic than dynasticism in politics? What about good examples? Is this possible? In fact, five leaders of the Samajwadi family, including Mulayam Singh Yadav, were seen sitting in the Assembly.
In this case, the question is whether the Congress no longer cares about accusations of dynastic politics – because there are examples of dynastic politics in all political parties, including the BJP?
Multiple states in the country are holding by-elections simultaneously, including Maharashtra and Jharkhand Assembly elections, and if we look at the list of candidates, the politics of dynastic politics are evident everywhere.
Why doesn’t Congress care about the issue of dynasticism?
Even in the recently held Haryana elections, the BJP did not avoid dynastic politics and the same was seen in Maharashtra and Jharkhand. In Jharkhand, the BJP took adequate care of the families of three former chief ministers. Arjun Munda’s wife Meera Munda, Raghubar Das’ daughter-in-law Purnima and Champai Soren’s son Babulal Soren were also selected as the BJP candidates in the Jharkhand Assembly elections. Raghubar Das is currently the Governor of Odisha.
Similarly, the BJP has also included the name of former chief minister Ashok Chavan’s daughter Shree Jaya Chavan in the list of 99 candidates announced for the Maharashtra assembly elections. Shrijaya, the third generation leader of the Chavan family, will contest from the family seat Bhokar. Before Ashok Chavan, his father Shankarrao Chavan was also the MLA from Pokar. There is also a family in which two candidates are competing. Ashish Shelar has emerged as the BJP candidate from Bandra West, while his brother Vinod Shelar has emerged as the candidate from Malad candidate of the Bharatiya Janata Party.
If we look beyond the Congress and the BJP, the same story is heard in Bihar. Deepa Manjhi, daughter-in-law of Union Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi, supported by BJP ally Hindustan Awam Morcha, Depart from Imamganj. Powerful leader Vishal Prashant, son of former MP Sunil Pandey, also bagged a BJP ticket in the Tharali by-election.
Similarly, in Belaganj, Vishwanath Yadav, son of RJD MP Surendra Yadav, and in Ramgarh, Ajit Singh, son of RJD leader Jagdanand Singh, have also joined the RJD camp with a view to saving their respective family strongholds.
Despite the dominance of the Gandhi family, has the Congress become careless as even the opposition, including the BJP, is no longer considered a differentiated party in the dynastic hammam?
Is the “Non-Gandhi Congress President” irrelevant now?
There was an incident in 2017. The question of dynastic politics was raised with Rahul Gandhi during a project at the University of California, Berkeley. Rahul Gandhi then asked why this question was asked only to him when dynasties are the reality of Indian politics. By the way, Rahul Gandhi did not want it to become a necessary evil at all.
Rahul Gandhi said, “Akhilesh Yadav entered politics because of dynasty.” (MK) Stalin and (Premkumar) Dhumal’s son (Anurag Thakur) are also examples of dynasty …even Abhishek Bachchan is a product of dynasticism…I am talking about the situation in India…that’s why don’t ask me what’s wrong?
But the Telangana elections saw BRS leader K. Chandrashekhar Rao being accused of dynastic politics, while he himself stayed in politics as he is the heir apparent of the country’s largest political family.
To avoid accusations of dynastic politics by the BJP, Rahul Gandhi insisted on becoming Congress president outside the Gandhi family, and it must be acknowledged that Rahul Gandhi also fulfilled his insistence – this is Mallikarjun ·The reasons why Haqq became the president of the Congress Party.
But after Priyanka Gandhi Vadra entered the electoral fray, the concept of a “non-Gandhi Congress president” seems to have become completely irrelevant now.
