Return of Feudalism in Garb of Democracy

Political Commentary

Former Chief Minister of U.P. Kalyan Singh, who has earned reputation of changing political colours form Nationalist – Communal BJP to secular Socialist Party, has launched a new political party, Jan Kranti Party. A party devoted to ‘people’s revolution’ is most welcome. But who will bring about this revolution? People, No, he and his son-Rajveer Singh will do the job, Kalyan Singh is the patron the kingmaker and his son is coronated as the president - the king.

Kalyan has done nothing new. H has followed the political system which has emerged after two decades of independence. We adopted democracy as our governing ideology in which political parties are the carriers of the people’s political will and in fact they are the platforms where people can express the views, opinions and social, economic and political agenda. But this remained on the paper. After Nehru, except for a brief interlude of Lal Bahadur Shastri, the main political party, Congress has become a family affair. After Nehru’s death, his daughter, after her murder, her son, after his murder his wife and now her son is emerging as ‘yuvaraj’, an MP., General Secretary of Congress and a projected PM.

Socialists used to attack vociferously this dynasty rule (Parivarvad). But see what is happening in the Socialist Party. A person is its president and MP, his brothers MP and MLA, party secretary, his son is an MP, and his son’s wife was launched as an MP candidate. Another socialist was chief minister of a state, he had to resign because of corruption charges. Who succeeded him as his party chief, CM, not a person elected by his legistative party in the state assembly, but his wife, who was an expert in house and cows keeping, was given charge of looking after a new house and new cows herded in this house.

We have enough of North. Let us see what is happening in East, West and South. In Orissa, the present chief minister’s father was also a chief minister. In Maharashtra, Shiv Sena should be named as Thakre Sena. It is a family affair and as there used to be palace politics (bothers fighting amongst themselves to succeed the throne during feudal days) the same thing is happening in this family now. In Andhra Pradesh, a cinema actor and became CM was succeeded by his wife as his party chief and by his son-in-law as chief minister. The situation in Tamil Nadu is much worse. There is a divided family affair. An actor CM has been succeeded by in turn by his co-actress and by his script writer for the film story. The whole family is managing the show as ministers, MLA and MP.

V.P. Singh’s Jan Morcha was headed, after his death, by his son. Chaudhury Charan Singh’s Jat state has chosen his son as its new king, BJP seems to be an exception to this family succession rule, perhaps because its leader Atal Behari Bajpai was a bachelor.

This scenario of feudal structure in political parties is also visible at local levels. Sons and daughters, wives of ministers and MPs are considered as good candidates. A few months ago, a team of 20 ‘yuvaraj’ MPs, sons and daughters of ministers and MPs, was sent to Yale University in the USA to get training in governance and development.

This new feudal structure in the garb of democracy is exhibited in a new way. Look at the front page headlines of the leading news papers: Maya launches Rs 7,312 crore schemes on her birthday (as a gift to the people of Uttar Pradesh). These schemes include those related to health care, drinking water, sewage, drainage, housing for poor, power substation. This used to happen in the feudal days when kings and Nawabs used to distribute alms etc. to their rayots. The schemes which have been announced by the UP CM on her birthday are schemes which ought have been started long back as the government’s programme. This is the government’s job, whosoever may be the CM. Mayavati was not distributing the money for these schemes from her pocket.

The present representative democracy is under double attack- internally and externally. Internally, the feudalism has creeped into it. Externally giant multinationals are dictating governments and it is rightly said that now democracy is of the corporations by the corporations and for the corporations.

It is a big challenge. It is high time, all people’s movements, people’s organization, concerned intellectuals, citizens and above all students rise to the occasion, get united and launch a nation wide movement to restore democratic values.