Why are surnames so important in politics? Should there be birth entitlements, to inheritance of power in a democratic set-up? Must the offspring be given on a platter what the common people have to struggle for? Believers in meritocracy and equitable distribution of power would cry in chorus: ‘No’.
Then why is India's vibrant democracy stained with dynastic politics in which bereavement is also used to
transfer power? The Nehru-Gandhi family has so far been singularly held responsible for this widespread
political malaise. Rightly so! Had Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru not dithered when his daughter Indira
Gandhi stood for presidentship of the Congress almost six decades back, dynastic politics would not
have crept into our rich democracy and grown into a monster?
What the father founded, the daughter fostered. Since then, innumerable dynasties – old and new, big and
small, famous and infamous – dot the country’s political landscape today.
Non-Congress parties, though equally guilty, have sporadically raised the issue of hereditary politics but
never as intensely as in the watershed 2014 Lok Sabha polls when the voters debated and debunked the
right to rule on the basis of birth certificate and not merit. They handed over the reins of the country to
a non-dynast, Narendra Modi, punished the country’s grand old party for its non-performance and its
scam-ridden tenure and, yet, elected many dynastic scions – a peculiar contradiction, but that’s what
Indian politics is all about!
Was it the Modi brand appeal alone that attracted the masses? No, there is much more than what meets
the eye. Based on her vast experience of political reporting and in-depth research, Sunita Aron exposes
the behind-the-scenes murky political shenanigans. This volume incisively analyses the unethical games
politicians play to remain in power and grow into brands.
About the Author
Sunita Aron is a political analyst and senior resident editor, Hindustan Times (Lucknow edition), having in-depth knowledge of the political, social and economic environment, acquired over more than three decades as a journalist. Besides being the first resident editor in North India , she held charge of Uttrakhand and Rajasthan editions and also worked as roving editor at Hindustan Times Mumbai. A regular blogger, she provides insights into a variety of social and political issues. She earlier wrote Akhilesh Yadav: Winds of Change.
