Nepotism is a way of life all over India. Favoritism prevails in almost every damn field. Politics is no exception. Nepotism has made our democracy a matter of mockery. Indian politics has a tag of “family business” attached to it. Sons and daughters of a minister regard the constituency as the heirloom.
India is the world’s largest democracy with everyone having a right to vote. However, what are the chances of you being voted for, in case, you stand up for the elections? The answer is hardly any because our political system works on the principle of nepotism. Politics is way out of the reach of many capable and deserving candidates just because they are not the relatives of some political entity. The following points are enough to make this situation clear:
- Two-thirds of Indian MPs under the age of 40 are from political families.
- A high percentage of Indian MPs under the age of 30 are hereditary.
- Less than 10% of MPs over the age of 70 are hereditary.
- 27 MPs are hyper hereditary (who have multiple relations in politics), 19 of them are in the Congress party.
At the time of elections, party’s hand out tickets to the relatives of MP’s. Any state, any party you look at, nepotism prevails. Knowledge, skills, merits, public life records are all secondary, or sometimes they do not even exist as an eligibility criterion. All that matters is a political backup in the form of inheritance. If you have it, the ticket is surely yours.
The harbinger of nepotism in Indian politics turned out to be the Nehru dynasty. It started with Nehru introducing Indira Gandhi into politics. Thereafter the trend spread like a fire in Indian politics including YSR family in Andhra Pradesh, Pawar family in Maharashtra, Karunanidhi family in Tamil Nadu, and many more.
Putting all the blame over these politicians will not be justified, as we voters are also to blame. Had we not voted them, they would not have become politicians. The voters tend to vote for a person whose family, name or the caste they like, and not the one who has all the qualities to change the nation for good.
Indian politics presents a pathetic scene of MP’s using politics for self enrichment, taking bribes and making sure that the parliamentary seat remains in the family so that wealth keeps flowing through many generations altogether owing to nepotism.
It is high time this voting pattern needs to be changed. We should not be voting candidates just because their father or mother has been a big politician in our country rather voting should be merely caliber based. This will certainly be a healthy change for Indian democracy.
