As the last scion of Nehru Gandhi dynasty is pretending to put in his papers having tasted the sour grapes one is forced to think if the times have come when the erstwhile citadels of power are crumbling.
The Lok Sabha polls of 2019 will be remembered for not only the historic win of BJP and the NDA but also for having led to the fall of many a dynasts (Naamdars) of power that have ruled parts of Nation for years. It is proving to be true that the period of fame has its own cycle. When the emperors and empires had their time limits how can the dynasts rule for eternity?
Post independence, we Indians had grown with only one party, the sacrosanct Congress, when leaders of the party were not only respected but also revered as demigods. One may remember the pall of gloom that befell the Indians when Gandhi and Nehru had died. Every eye was in tears. But with time the clans and dynasties stooped to the levels of commoners. And when selfless interests diminish, the darkness descends.
The day may not be far when Gandhis, Nehrus, Scindias Abdullahs Chautalas, Badals, may remain buried in political history books alone like the Mauryas, Chandels, and Raos of a few centuries ago.
Once upon a time, there was a living God in the guise of Mahatma Gandhi who selflessly fought for the freedom of not only the nation but also its people, the downtrodden and the marginalized minorities. Who forced Britishers to leave India without exerting any violence. Unfortunately the ambassador of non violence was gunned down just after Independence, as if that was the meaning of independence. And thereafter everyone in Indian polity is fighting, but for their own cause, selfish ends, in the name of social equality.
Recalling the Nehru dynasty, we remember Pandit Jawaharlal who was fondly known as Chacha Nehru among children, who ruled practically unopposed for long 17 years and died in harness. Then his daughter, recognized as the iron lady, who ascended the throne intermittently till 1984 when she was gunned down by her own security officers, was a force unto herself.
The dynasty baton was handed over to her elder son Rajiv Gandhi who too met a sordid end, having died in a human bomb blast in 1989. That was perhaps the end of a favoured leadership in the clan.
The dynastic pseudo rule then continued with Sonia and Rahul clinging to the dilapidated and desolate throne, now crumbling in the foundations. The face saving plan of Rahul too failed abysmally when he could not protect the very seat of Amethi which had not known any other leader than the Gandhis for over three decades. And what to speak of the party, whose performance too ended up being a tear jerker tale for the party sycophants.
Unfortunate as it may appear but the Scindia clan that ruled the middle India for long too is also shaking with Jyotiraditya himself losing the present elections with shameful margins. The Royal Rajmata Vijaya Raje Scindia had the true flavour of public loyalty. Her son Madhavrao and daughter Vasundhra Raje parted ways and pursued different ideologies by joining Congress and BJP respectively. It is an irony of fate that Madhavrao’s son Jyotiraditya is a fallen hero today while Vijayaraje’s son Dushyant Singh is gleefully fluttering the victory flag riding on Modi wave.
The Abdullahs’ of J&K are again fighting to save the fallen grace. After Sheikh Abdullah, his son Farooq and grandson Umar are just rowing the National Conference in a Dull lake. Crying hoarse to protect article 370 and begging votes on the emotional plea. Mehbooba Mufti however failed to open the account for PDP.
The arch of Uttar Pradesh politics Mulayam Singh, having a clout over the largest state and electoral politics in India, is perhaps drawn inward calculating the follies of Yadav clan, having failed to save the grace of its own family members losing elections. Dimple Yadav is not the only queen who lost but three other family members too had to bite the dust. The cycle perhaps could not bear the weight of an elephant, while earlier the experiment of adding another Hand to the bicycle handle too had failed.
Abysmal performance of the Lalu Prasad clan who had ruled the state of Bihar for long has lead him to distress and is already languishing partly in Jail for the much talked about fodder scam and partly in hospital for his failing health which has now got another jolt.
In the 16th Lok Sabha, there won’t be any one to represent the clan of Chaudhary Charan Singh, the jat leader and former Prime Minister of India whose son Ajit Singh and grandson Jayant Chaudhary too lost abysmally.
And so is the case of Bishnois and Chautalas of Haryana. Three aspirants of the Chautala clan Digvijay, Arjun and Dushyant could hardly face the BJP’s whirlwind victory rath that conquered all the 10 seats in the state. And the Bhajan Lal Bishnoi clan too is lost in anonymity.
In South India, the Karunanidhi and NTR clan too fought a lost battle with lone victory of Chandrababu Naidu from Andhra and Kanimozhi from Tamilnadu.With the fall of many sprawling kingdoms as well as many former Chief Ministers, one thing is clear that the Indian electoral is now awakened to its rights as well as dignity, and for the pride of its nation also.
Post the end of Privy Purse regime, the dynastic rule too appears to be coming to its own end. The citadels of Power are crumbling of course.
