Asianet NewsableAsianet Newsable

North or south, Mahabharata is India's family business

  • Mulayam Singh Yadav was effectively unseated as chief of his party by his son on January 1.
  • Family tension has affected several major regional parties and left its imprint on national politics.
  • Bit players like stepmothers and even daughters-in-law have played a role in some parties.
Samajwadi Mulayam family Mahabharata

We Indians are an emotional lot and nothing stirs us up as much as family does. Family ties are upheld in every walk of life, be it business, education, religion and politics, even if it appears regressive. So while the chaos in Samajwadi Party shocks us, it shouldn’t surprise us.

 

Going back to the times of the great epics of the Mahabharata and Ramayana, family intrigue played a pivotal role in how India has been run. Democracy and education have done little to change a mode of politics where uncles, sons, daughters and stepmothers play pivotal roles. Asianet Newsable runs you through some prominent stormy successions in family-led parties, from the perspective of the relations involved:

 

Samajwadi Party: Son and uncle vs. uncle

Stepmoms present: 1

On January 1, Mulayalam Singh Yadav was effectively unseated as chief of the party he created by his son and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav. Akhilesh had the support of Mulayam’s brother Ram Gopal as the duo proceeded to oust another uncle, Shivpal, who has remained close to Mulayalam. To spice things, Akhilesh’s supporters had alleged that his stepmother had carried out black magic rituals against the CM.

Read more: Akhilesh Yadav under step-mother’s black magic spell?

 

DMK: Son vs. son vs. daughter

Stepmoms present: 2

DMK patriarch M Karunanidhi started promoting his son M.K. Stalin as his potential successor in the 1970s itself, causing resentment to his older son Azhagiri. Azhagiri was effectively packed off to Madurai, while Stalin was made the mayor of Chennai in the late 90s. The tension between the brothers led to the deaths of three people when Azhagiri supporters attacked the office of a newspaper for carrying an opinion poll on succession in 2007. The presence of an ambitious daughter, Kanimozhi, who was born to Karunanidhi’s third wife, further muddled the succession debate. However, the DMK’s electoral debacles since 2011 have led to Kanimozhi and Azhagiri losing prominence as the party coalesces around Stalin.

 

Shiv Sena: Son vs. nephew

Bal Thackeray founded the Shiv Sena as a party opposed to the mundane status quo of opportunistic politics in the 1960s. He bitterly opposed the dynastic politics of the Congress, but would have been embarrassed in his later years with the falling out between his son and designated successor, Uddhav Thackeray, and nephew, Raj Thackeray. Raj has been perceived as being the more charismatic and cunning of the two. Raj founded his own party in 2006 as the Shiv Sena’s role in Maharashtra politics declined. Another contender for power in the party was Smita Thackeray, the wife of Bal’s oldest son, Jaidev; Smita became irrelevant after her divorce in 2004.

 

TDP: Founder vs. son-in-law

Stepmoms present: 1

N.T. Rama Rao was among the early heartthrobs of Telugu cinema. Ironically, he died heartbroken in 1996, a few months after he was deposed as chief minister by his son-in-law and current Andhra Pradesh CM, Chandrababu Naidu. Naidu claimed that he was acting to save the party from the “negative” influence of Rao’s second wife, Lakshmi Parvathy. Parvathy floated a faction against Naidu but has faded into oblivion since. Naidu has faced whimpers of rebellion from other sons and relatives of Rao but has over the decades, tightened his grip on the party, which he could hand over to his son, Nara Lokesh.

Follow Us:
Download App:
  • android
  • ios