Priyanka Gandhi Vadra has formally entered politics. She has also been appointed as the general secretary of the Congress in charge of eastern Uttar Pradesh.

It is believed that the inner circles of Congress workers were demanding her entry since a very long time. Around the last general elections (2014), it was rumored that they were preferring her over Rahul Gandhi.

People already love her. The ruling regime is therefore overtly baffled by this step, which is of great significance and was undoubtedly planned for the elections of 2019.

But keeping its electoral benefits aside, this kind of helicopter dropping makes me feel like medieval history styled monarchy never left India. At the very least, we try to impose it on ourselves through our political system.

Our attitude towards Priyanka Gandhi Vadra displays how we are not yet over our feudal past.

Here are just a few instances –

1. No one objects this Helicopter entry

Without any fair or transparent democratic process, the members of these political dynasties enter politics. This practice is detrimental to the republican democracy that India is.

It promotes a kind of electoral feudalism where political prince and princesses start seeing a constituency as if they inherited the constituency.

Indian National Congress is not the only political party that directly drops family members into the arena, several regional parties and even BJP has followed a similar practice.

2. The fact that People are seeing Priyanka as a spitting image of Indira Gandhi

It seems that people crave to be ruled by an offspring of a monarch- Indira Gandhi’s offspring Rajiv Gandhi, his offspring Rahul Gandhi. Since the latter didn’t fare well, and gender equality is a thing now, they launched Priyanka Gandhi.

She is a beautiful charismatic mixed raced woman. She is witty and graceful. It is also believed that she has helped her brother in managing their family business (Congress).

But despite all this, why is she considered to be a legitimate political heir? Because she looks and dresses up like her grandmother! This mindset clearly portrays how we are predisposed to accept political heirs.


Also Read: The Robert Vadra mystery: Forget property, how did he acquire Priyanka?


3. We talk more of her husband

Is a woman’s life supposed to revolve around her husband? Robert Vadra seems to have profited from his marriage with Priyanka Gandhi. And not to mention the many controversies and scams his name is attached to, media is often seen focusing on the son-in-law to one of the oldest political families in India.

So naturally the only thing she is questioned about is her husband and all the other topics are dismissed, for instance, her future plans in politics.

Her husband is a part of her life, not her whole life.

India is the largest democracy on earth. This democracy was hard earned from the Britishers.

No matter how promising a potential politician seems on the surface, they need to go through rites de passage in the hierarchy of political system. To be a republican democracy in essence, India has to get rid of her feudal baggage.


Image Credits: Google Images

Source: The Hindu Business LineIndian ExpressThe Hindu

Find the blogger @parihar_tweets


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