Can Gandhi heirs revive dynasty?

[La_Serpiente]

Can Gandhi heirs revive dynasty?

With national elections expected this spring, India's faltering Congress Party is banking on a new generation of Gandhis.

NEW DELHI – Boom times are terrible times for opposition politicians, even if you have the benefit of a good name.

So consider the case of Priyanka and Rahul Gandhi. The 30-something children of former Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, grandchildren of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, and great-grandchildren of India's first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru could be presumed to have the sort of pedigree advantages of people like Prince Charles or George W. Bush.

But in the seven years that have passed since the Congress Party was last in power, most of the indicators have worked against these young up and comers. Under the watch of the Congress's chief rival, the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the economy is booming at around 8 percent this quarter. Foreign investment is up and foreign exchange levels have reached a staggering $100 billion. Even foreign policy seems to be working to the BJP's advantage, with peace talks scheduled next month with Pakistan.

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Can Gandhi heirs revive dynasty?

[varun]

1. Why does the Congress stick to the Gandhis?

In a country of 1 billion, cant they find another charismatic leader?

[RFKHumphreyObama]

2. India's political situation at the present time saddens me

Vajpayee is relatively good as a Prime Minister and he has successfully managed to keep the Hindu fundamentalists in his coalition at bay but I still would prefer to see his party replaced from office because I have a feeling that his successors may lead India down the path of Hindu extremism. LK Advani, Vajpayee’s likely successor, seems to have a much more volatile temperament both in domestic and foreign policy and his elevation to power could provide the foundations for a new period of uncertainty both within India and also within the wider continent. From what I have read, Advani’s views on religion have been quite extreme and I think that any moves to promote Hindu fundamentalism could have exceedingly negative consequences for India. In some ways I see the BJP as a distant political sister to the Republican Party.

The problem with political dynasties is that they breed a certain “born to rule” mentality combined with a considerable deal of arrogance, cronyism and nepotism –just look at the Bushes to see what I am talking about. IMHO Nehru was a good Prime Minister but Indira Gandhi reminded me quite a lot of Jeb Bush –always trying to fix things for the benefit of her family and discarding democracy quite frequently when it looked like usurping her family’s reign of power. Thankfully Sanjay Gandhi never got to taste power –in retrospect I think that he was India’s answer to George W Bush-and I genuinely developed a profound admiration and respect for Rajiv Gandhi –who didn’t seem to be filled with delusions of grandeur in the same way as his mother or his brother and who realized the mistakes that he had made while in power toward the end of his life and would have probably been an even better leader during his second term. Sonia Gandhi is well meaning but unfortunately seems to be going nowhere.

I don’t see any real hope for Indian politics in the future. It needs a moderate leader interested in democracy who has a progressive vision in both domestic and foreign policy. There seems to be now such figure on the present political scene

[varun]

3. True...

Vajpayee has been a remarkable leader so far...and I almost like him. Advani is scary, and so are some of the other BJP types.

But remember, that BJP is in a coalition, and if Advani becomes the leader, he'll have to tone down his rhetoric, if he has to retain any control over the government

[mac2]

4. India at peace?

India's leaders have gone crazy with aggression and war like the US. We are their model...I'm ashamed to say. There is a world wide grab for power and profit and we do nothing about it. Before the International community would put pressure on them...no more.

It's a bad Bush neighorhood without democracy and peace.

Love the photo.

[dArKeR]

5. Gandhis drafted for new political tug-of-war

http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?click_id=3&art_id=qw1076937843936B253&set_id=1