(MENAFN- Khaleej Times) The history of modern Indian politics is a history of dynastic rule.
There have been political dynasties in other countries, to be sure. There were the Kennedys in the USA and, closer to India, there are the obvious cases of Pakistan and Bangladesh. However, none have been as lasting â€" and tragic â€" as India's Nehru/Gandhi dynasty.
Though India's first Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, died peacefully, both his daughter, Indira Gandhi (no kin of Mahatma Gandhi), and grandson, Rajiv Gandhi, died violently. Indira Gandhi was assassinated by two of her Sikh bodyguards, and Rajiv Gandhi by a Sri Lankan Tamil suicide bomber.
Indira Gandhi's younger son, the impetuously wayward Sanjay, whom she had been grooming as her successor, died while flying a stunt plane, adding to the tragic history of the family.
After Rajiv's assassination, one would have thought that his Italian-born widow, Sonia, would have retired into seclusion, having lost so many close to her. Indeed, after Indira Gandhi's assassination, Sonia had begged her husband not to go into politics, fearing the worst. And the worst happened.
However, after a period of mourning and reflection, Sonia moved back to centre stage, making it clear that she would promote the political legacy of the family into which she had married.
Her defining moment came in 2004, when the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was surprisingly defeated by the Congress Party. Most observers attributed the Congress success to Sonia's astute leadership. She had also proved to be a huge crowd-puller.
Her foreign origin clearly did not matter to the Indian masses. After all, she was a widow of a prime minister and daughter-in-law of another, both much loved. That was more than sufficient to make her acceptable. She also spoke good Hindi, albeit with an Italian accent, and wore a sari like any other Indian woman.
In 2004, following the Congress victory, the prime ministership was hers for the asking.
Instead, she chose the mild-mannered and unassuming Manmohan Singh for the post. It was an inspired choice that stunned not just the BJP but the entire country as well. Impressive economic growth enabled the Congress Party-led combine to get re-elected in 2009.
Meanwhile, Sonia's son, Rahul, was being unobtrusively groomed for eventual leadership. Many felt that his sister, Priyanka, who bears a striking resemblance to her grandmother, Indira, had more charisma. But Sonia decided her daughter should concentrate on family life (she is married with two young children), leaving her son â€" a bachelor â€" to take on the family's political mantle.
How has he done?
In the 2009 general election, the Congress Party won 21 seats to the Lok Sabha, India's Lower House of Parliament, from the key state of Uttar Pradesh (UP). Earlier, the Congress had been virtually wiped out from the state. Most of the Congress winners this time round were young and personally chosen by Rahul Gandhi.
Some of his other moves also showed a deft touch. He dashed off to Mumbai to counter the Shiv Sena's parochial campaign against north Indians. The Shiv Sena planned a protest against him but he outfoxed them by travelling by the local train, nonplussing them while delighting the city's commuting public. In UP he visited poverty-ridden villages, spending the night there and eating with dalits, acutely embarrassing the then chief minister of the state, Mayawati, also a dalit.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was facing mounting criticism. Scam after scam was being exposed and a campaign against corruption, led by a Gandhi-like figure, Anna Hazare, had gathered wide support. Nobody doubted Singh's personal integrity, but many questioned his firmness and leadership qualities. Didn't he know what was going on under his very nose, they asked. Worst of all, the Indian economy was sputtering, growth plummeting from over nine per cent a year to just over six per cent.
But Rahul Gandhi, too, faced his own setback. The same state where the Congress had done so well in the 2009 general election, UP, recently had a state election. Rahul, his sister, and Sonia had campaigned tirelessly there. But the Congress did disastrously. People started saying that Rahul was not really ready for a bigger role in Indian politics, let alone take over from Singh.
The latest twist is a stray remark that Rahul has just made that he was ready to take on a "more pro-active" role. More pro-active in government or in the Congress Party? He did not clarify, leading to frenzied speculation.
My guess? He will shortly be made a Cabinet minister, in charge of rural development or human resources. In any case, the Nehru/Gandhi political dynasty will continue, a cause for celebration to some and despair to others.
Rahul Singh is the former Editor of Reader's Digest, Indian Express and Khaleej Times
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