---------------------------------------------------------------------------
**** http://www.GOANET.org ****
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Goanet joins Noel Rebello to raise money for Daddy's Home (Margao, Goa)
Sponsor Noel as he climbs Mt. Kilimanjaro (5,882m or 19,298 ft)
Make a donation at www.Goanet.org, click on MAKE A DONATION,
state "Daddy's Home" in the Donation comments
For more information see: http://bit.ly/SupportDaddysHome
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
U.G.Barad wrote:
> I think it is fair to say that in the Communist parties and the BJP, such
> God-kings do not exist. There are people in these parties who are the
> children of the leadership. But in most cases, they have worked themselves
> up through the ranks.
>
If one looks at the Western democracies, one can seldom see the kind of family
politics that prevail
in India. In the US over the past half a century, the Kennedys have dominated
the political scene,
followed by the Bush family. There is though a basic difference, they were
elected by the people.
In India and especially in the Congress party, the process of democratic
elections have pretty
much disappeared. Other than in dictatorships of North Korea, Syria, Iraq under
Saddam Hussein
and few other autocratic regimes, the family succession process is unique to
the Indian subcontinent.
Examples of family in politics in the subcontinent include
Sirimao Bandarnaike and her daughter Chandrika Kumaratunga
Mujibur Rehman's daughter Sheikh Hasina, long afterhis death
Benazir Bhutto, followed her Father Zulfiquar Ali Bhutto and Benazir was
followed by her husband
Zardari.
However, no other democracy has been dominated by one family, as much as India
is.
One is yet to see such a phenomenon in Britain, Australia, Canada, Germany,
France.
Indira Gandhi systematically destroyed her opponents within the Congress,
through the 60s, 70s and 80s.
She became very powerful after she had eased out the likes of Kamarak,
Nigalingappa and others. That
led to the imposition of emergency and autocratic rule in 1975. During her
Prime Ministership, she
dismissed and appointed Chief Ministers in all states at will. At the Centre,
if any person was even
perceived to be a threat to her, used to be either sent back to the state or
appointed to secondary
posts. I think such an attitude destroyed the upcoming cadre of Congressmen and
led to nepotism.
Those close to the Gandhis and sucking up to them went up in hierarchy and
promising leaders
were unceremoniously cast aside.
After the 1975 emergency fiasco, Indira Gandhi was pretty much destroyed. The
person who revived her
was none other than Devraj Urs, who got her elected from Chickamaglur. However,
she sensed that
he was getting too strong and she completely finished him. He died a shattered
person!
Sonia Gandhi still follows the same loyalty path. I am sure given the choice,
Congress in Goa would not
want Digambar Kamat as the Chief Minister. He has done a good job of pleasing
the powers that be
in Delhi -- The Gandhis!! He prays to the Gandhi God-Kings!
It is indeed a sad state of affairs that the likes of Sonia Gandhi and Rahul
Gandhi are the only face of the
Congress Party.
Naguesh Bhatcar
> From: [email protected]
> To: [email protected]
> ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
> My response:
>
> I think it is fair to say that in the Communist parties and the BJP, such
> God-kings do not exist. There are people in these parties who are the
> children of the leadership. But in most cases, they have worked themselves
> up through the ranks.
>
> Perhaps Soter can give examples otherwise, and I will stand corrected.
>
> Going through the article by Dhume, following two quotes are worth
> considering:
>
> "But unlike the Conservatives and Labour in Britain, or for that matter the
> Republicans and Democrats in America, Congress is defined less by adherence
> to a coherent ideology than by fealty to a single family."
>
> "Beyond this apparent sense of noblesse oblige toward the toiling masses,
> the Gandhis are probably the most opaque major politicians in the democratic
> world. They rarely speak to the media, and when they do it's not to
> critics."
>
> Best regards,
>
> U. G. Barad
>
>
