Son Rises in the Twilight of Socialist Nitish

Whatever it is: instinct or the remnant of the monarchical legacy or just the filial love to see their sons and daughters in the position of power and continue the line, ‘Vanshvad’ runs deep in politicians across the world.

But Indian leaders are more enamoured of it, and justify it brazenly. They say when sons of doctors and engineers can slip into the shoes of their parents, then why not politicians’ sons into theirs.

But more surprising than their brazenness is the eagerness with which people lap it up. And the media gets along with it with the ritual of writing a few soft words of protest to register their disagreement as well as to keep the political master in good honour as their commercial interests are intertwined with the powers.

Nitish Kumar filed his nomination papers for Rajya Sabha- PC- X

They are all united in this. The communists are also not untouched by it. But it is not stark in their party structures. The socialists are on the forefront. They have a long record of promoting their sons and daughters. They also stick to the rule of primogeniture: leadership is for the sons; the daughters just follow them.

Akhilesh Yadav succeeds veteran socialist late Mulayam Singh Yadav ; Tejashwi Yadav succeeds   'icon' of socialist politics and 'charismatic' social justice leader Lalu Yadav and the latest to board the gravy train is politics-agonist and political novice Nishant Kumar who takes the baton from his father, 'Sushasan Babu' Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar, who till the other day never missed a chance to put Lalu Yadav in the dock  on promoting ‘Vanshvad’ in politics.

BJP also has a full quota of sons and daughters adoring the Parliament and Assemblies. Prime Minister Narendra Modi's tirades against the flag bearer of ‘Vanshvad’ politics in the country, the Congress, sound hollow in the face of BJP leaders' sons and daughters’ presence in the legislative bodies.

As all of them cannot be accommodated in the legislative bodies and to maintain the facade of democracy in the parties, the rest are put in the position of powers in the local bodies and government companies. No sections of society oppose this dynastic culture in these parties. Intellectuals sing their tunes that their successions were necessary to save the parties' and governance. The people are left with no choices to hail the new incumbents with resignation.