SOCIALISM VS FAMILY RULE

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               

Today there was an interesting discussion between Mulayam Singh Yadav (MP/LS/SP) and Mahanth Avaidyanath (MP/LS/BJP) in the Lok Sabha on 84-kosi Prikrama Yatra of the VHP -led saints. Yadav charged that in the name of Yatra, the volunteers of VHP, BJP and others were behaving like goondas and so the state Govt behaved accordingly with them. Strongly resoponding to this charge, the Mahanth wanted to know which type of Socialism was being propagated by Mulayam. He added that Mulayam himself was the president of the SP and a Lok Sabha MP, his two brothers were the general secretaries as well as ministers in the state, his son was the Chief Minister and perhaps he would have liked to add that his ‘vahu’ Priyanka Yadav is a MP/LS. He posed, was it family rule (vanshvad) or socialism?

This joke of family rule and casteism being given the name of socialism is being shamelessly practised in UP, Bihar and some other places as well. When in connection with the fodder scam, Lalu had to relinquish chief ministership, he could hand over power to his almost illiterate wife, Rabri Devi. Other qualified leaders of the party like Prof Raghuvansh Prasad Singh, Shivanand Tiwari, Prabhunath Singh, Ram Vilash Paswan etc were autocratically sidelined. At that time his both sons were minor. Now he has started projecting his one son to assume the charge of RJD. Similarly, R.V. Paswan for leading his pocket party LNJP has selected none else than his son Chirag who failed in filmdom and has returned to his father’e political empire which is supposed to be a softer and greener field. We know that Nitish did not have a cordial family relation so he has no choice of perpetuating his family.

We know that in post-independence India, between the extremes of communism and capitalism, a middle path of socialism emerged which was spearheaded by JP, Lohia, Kripalani etc. All the above persons, product of the JP movement of seventies, call themselves as staunch Lohiaites. The honesty, nationalism and dedication of bachelor Lohia are popularly known. Even in heaven Lohia must be twisting sides in desperation hearing that the above individuals claim to be his followers.