It’s Talents, Leadership that Lead to Triumph in Politics
KCR Family Members have Equal Rights in
Politics
And
Competence beyond inheritance
Millennium Post (07-11-2023)
Vanam Jwala Narasimha Rao
The Hans India (05-11-2023)
{Ability, Capability and Leadership
Quality in Politics is a God Given Gift, Hard
Work, Intellect, Oratory Skills and also to some extent Legacy not to speak of
certain amount of luck too. When these qualities are characteristic and proved
beyond doubt in the case of KCR Family Members, what If they are in Politics, and
occupy elected positions? Why blame KCR of Family Rule, in isolation, on Trivial
Political Grounds? - Editor synopsis}
Disillusioned Critics are deceitfully playing the
unethical ‘Political Blame Game’ alleging that, Telangana Chief
Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao promotes ‘Family Rule.’ The accusation
is countered by BRS Leaders and Rank and File. In fact, five years ago, KCR
himself clarified on this, in unequivocal words, describing it as an ‘Absolute
Travesty of Truth.’
In an interview to a National News
Channel, he said, it was KCR, his son, his daughter and family, who were in
forefront of Telangana Agitation facing several police cases and arrests and were
put in jail. ‘We were all in the streets which the whole State was aware of. My
Children were elected not just once or twice, but repeatedly, with people’s
mandate. I never nominated them. My Family is Telangana and Every
Telanganite is Partner of My Family’ said KCR in the interview.
Now the question is, ‘Do Family Members
with Ability, Capability and Leadership Quality have Equal Rights to be in
Politics or not?’ Examples from India, and abroad, substantially amplify
that, in a democracy, everyone has equal rights. For instance, Family Members
of Kennedy, Bush, Roosevelt, Soong Sisters, Lee Kuan Yew, Bandaranaike,
Churchill, Nehru-Gandhi etc. occupied important positions on their own way and
what is wrong in it, as long as they proved capable?
President John Fitzgerald Kennedy’s Family
Members, beginning with his Grandfather, Patrick Joseph Kennedy, many were in Federal
Elective Office. Robert Kennedy and Ted Kennedy were Senators. Others included Members
of House of Representatives, Ambassadors, Envoy, Lieutenant Governor, State Legislators,
and Mayor. Every Kennedy elected to Public Office was a Democrat, and majority
held Cabinet Posts. Pearl S Buck, the all-time great novelist and biographer of
the Kennedy Family, in her only non-fiction book ‘The Kennedy Women’
accounts in detail how passionate Patrick Joseph Kennedy's son Joseph Patrick
Kennedy was in preparing his nine children, including John Kennedy to occupy
high political positions.
Likewise, four generations of Bush Family
Members held national and state offices. For twelve years they were the ‘First
Family’ and for eight years the ‘Second Family.’ They
were: Senator Prescott Bush, Governor Jeb Bush, Vice President and President George
H W Bush, and his son President George W Bush. Bush Family is one of the four
families to have produced two Presidents of the USA by the same surname. According
to Genealogist John Burke, Bush is a 13th Cousin of Queen Elizabeth
II and is related to British Royal Family. It is also said that, Barack Hussein
Obama, first African-American President of USA and George W Bush are 11th
cousins.
Adams Family
produced two USA presidents namely, John Adams and his son John Quincy Adams.
From the Roosevelt Family, Theodore Roosevelt was President for eight years and
his fifth cousin Franklin D Roosevelt was President for a record three terms of
12 years. His wife, First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt, was Theodore's niece. Descendants
of the Harrison Family included one of the Founding Fathers of USA Benjamin
Harrison V, and three Presidents namely, William Henry Harrison, Benjamin
Harrison, and Abraham Lincoln, besides Governors, Legislators, and Mayors.
In China, Formidable ‘Soong
Sisters’ from the same Family, namely, Soong-Chia-Ling, Soong-Mei-Ling,
and Soong-Al-Ling, married the three most powerful figures of China,
Sun-Yat-Sen, Chiang-Kai-Shek, and HH Kung, all of whom were Presidents of China
at one time or other!!! ‘Soong Sisters’ literally espoused to, and ended up
actively espousing the political views of these three men who played key roles
in shaping China’s Destiny in the period of revolutionary instability. One brother
of Soong Sisters, TV Soong was a Foreign Minister of China for nearly a decade.
‘The Song of Soongs,’ one of the earliest dispatches to the
Government of India from China by the distinguished writer, and diplomat of
India KPS Menon, as the Agent-General in 1943. described his memorable
experiences with them.
Singapore’s Lee Political Family, Lee
Kuan Yew, was the first and founding Prime Minister of Singapore for nearly 30
years. His son Lee Hsien Loong, was the third Prime Minister since 2004. Both
father and son were also Secretary-Generals of their People's Action Party for
decades. Bandaranaike Family produced three Prime Ministers, one Chief
Executive and one President of Sri Lanka. They were, SWRD Bandaranaike,
Sirimavo Bandaranaike and Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga. United Kingdom
has seen many Families who have repeatedly produced notable politicians, and
consequently such families have had a significant impact on politics. They
included among others, the Attlees, Asquiths, Baldwins, Callaghans,
Chamberlains, Churchills, Grenvilles, Macmillans, Peels, Pitts etc. from whom
there was at least one Prime Minister and several occupying various elected positions.
Back in India, Motilal Nehru, the
founder patriarch of powerful political Nehru-Gandhi family legacy, after
serving twice as President of Indian National Congress, not only laid strong
and permanent foundation for the future Prime Ministerial berth in favor of his
son but also a perennial political opportunity to his descendants. He cleverly transferred
the presidency to his London educated son Jawaharlal Nehru, who entered
politics just a decade ago and already established and proved his leadership
qualities. The family produced three Prime Ministers and the fourth one is in
the waiting!!! Motilal's daughter and Jawaharlal sister Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit
was President of the Indian National Congress, Lok Sabha Member, Governor, and also
President of the United Nations General Assembly.
Jawaharlal Nehru stepped in to the
shoes of his father Motilal and set the ball rolling enabling his daughter
Indira Gandhi to succeed him when opportunity comes. ‘Dear
to Behold’ a great book written by Indira’s aunt Krishna Nehru
Hutheesingh, the youngest sister of Jawaharlal Nehru, gives an intimate and
interesting portrait of Indira Gandhi, and the way Jawaharlal Nehru in every
aspect right from her childhood prepared her for a bigger role in the national
scenario. In the year 1930, on the New Year’s Day, the
draft speech of declaration of Indian Independence, to be delivered by Nehru,
was first readout to him by Indira, when she was just 13 years
old!
More than Indira getting a chance for
an entry into politics by her father, whether one accepts with her style of
functioning or not, she proved beyond doubt her Leadership Qualities. Her sons
Sanjay and Rajiv entry into politics and Rajiv Gandhi becoming Prime Minister
may be construed in several ways. They too were leaders on their own right and
weight, agreed or disagreed. Thus, unhesitatingly, the first promoter of Family
Members entry in to politics, which is obviously and certainly not an erroneous
one, is none other than the Holy Congress!!! Million Dolor question is, why the
present Congress Party Leadership blaming others, when it did the same!!! This
is like the adage, ‘Do as I say, but don’t do as I do.’
Nehru-Gandhi family’s lead has been
taken by many in Indian Politics. Family Members of Vengal Rao, Channa Reddy,
Anjayya, Bhavanam, Janardhan Reddy, Kotla, Nadendla, Venkata Swamy, NT Rama
Rao, Chandrababu Naidu, Bhujbal, Chavan, Bahuguna, Rajasekhara Reddy,
Umashankar Dikshit, Scindia, Pilot, Bhupinder Singh Hooda, Devi Lal, Mulayam
Sing Yadav, Sharad Pawar, Yeddyurappa, Devegowda, Karunanidhi, Sangma, Sheik
Abdullah, Thackeray, Jagjivan Ram, Lalu Prasad Yadav, Biju Patnaik, Chiman Bhai
Patel etc. to name few, not to speak of Mallikarjun Kharge’s son Priyank Kharge
lately, have been in politics, some with success and some with failure.
Ability, Capability and Leadership
Quality in Politics is a God Given Gift, Hard
Work, Intellect, Oratory Skills and also to some extent Legacy not to speak of
certain amount of luck too. When these qualities are characteristic and proved
beyond doubt in the case of KCR Family Members, what If they are in Politics, and
occupy elected positions? Why blame KCR of Family Rule, in isolation, on Trivial
Political Grounds?
(The writer is Chief Public Relations
Officer to Chief Minister of Telangana)
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