Dynastic politics eating into vitals of democracy: PK

By Alok Mohit and Vishwapati

PATNA: The decision of the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) to field two daughter of its president Lalu Prasad in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections has sparked a fresh debate on dynastic politics.

Jan Suraj convenor and poll strategist Prashant Kishor has condemned the prevalence of dynastic politics, likening it to a parasite eating into the vitals of democracy, not only in Bihar but in other parts of the country as well.

Dynastic politics was a key issue during the Total Revolution launched by Jaya Prakash Narayan in 1975, he said, adding that no party was aloof from this malaise. “The issue of dynastic politics is not limited to the RJD. It transcends party lines, including major parties like the Congress and the BJP,” he said.

He cited the example of BJP leader and Bihar deputy chief minister Samrat Chowdhary, whose father Shakuni Chowdhary served as a minister in Congress regime as well as in governments headed by Lalu Prasad, Nitish Kumar and Jitan Ram Manjhi. This showed how the BJP was also persuing the dynastic politics despite its opposition to it, he said.

Kishor said in the last 30 years, only 1250 people from influential families, irrespective of their party affiliations, had been elected as MLAs and MPs in Bihar. This underscored the deep-rooted nature of this malaise, Kishor added.

Authors Alok Mohit is former senior News Editor of Hindustan Times Patna and Chandigarh editions; can be contacted at mohit.alok19@gmail.com and Viswapati is a senior journalist based in Patna

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