All the chief ministers' sons

NK SINGH

Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan’s political career started quite early. According to his official website, he fought for farm workers of his village when he was just nine. As president of his school union in Bhopal, he learnt the ropes at 16.

A year later, Government detained him under draconian MISA during Emergency. Shivraj became the youngest person to be arrested under MISA and underwent rite of passage in Bhopal jail, where he spent nine months in the company of senior RSS leaders.

It is natural for a son to follow the footsteps of his father. Kartikey Singh Chouhan, the chief minister’s 23-year-old son, has also taken plunge into political arena. He entered state politics last week, addressing a rally of Kirar-Dhakad community in poll bound Kolaras.

It was a remarkable political launch. Junior Chouhan was pitted against Jyotiraditya Scindia, one of the topmost leaders of MP Congress, who was addressing a parallel rally of Kirar-Dhakad community in an adjacent ground at the same time. The constituency has about 18 per cent votes of Kirar-Dhakad, the community to which Kartikey belong.

Kartikey appears to be a multi-faceted young man. He is president of students’ union at Pune’s Symboisis Law School where he is a fifth year law student.

He is also a budding entrepreneur, running a flower shop in an upscale locality of Bhopal and coming up with a Rs 6 crore dairy project near Vidisha.

He is also interested in politics. The first inkling of Kartikey’s interest came a few months ago when he delivered a welcome address when MP Government’s Narmada yatra reached Jait, his ancestral village. In the audience were several cabinet ministers.

Kartikey, who actively campaigned for his father in the last election, has been attending public functions in Budhni, his father’s constituency, as chief guest.

Some Congress leaders have tried to term his grooming as a sign of dynastic politics, forgetting that those who live in glass houses should not throw stone. There is not a single chief ministers in MP whose son or close relative did not join politics. Sons or close relatives of all the 15 chief ministers of MP, who assumed office before Chouhan, have dabbled in political arena.

Congress in MP is led by second generation and third generation politicians.

Jyotiraditya Scindia, who aspires to lead Congress at hustings, has entered politics following the footsteps of grandmother Vijayaraje Scindia and father Madhavrao Scindia. His is a political clan. One aunt is CM of Rajasthan, another is a minister in MP and a cousin is a member of parliament.

Leader of opposition Ajay Singh is also a third generation politician. His father, Arjun Singh, was MP’s CM thrice and grandfather Shiv Bahadur Singh was a minister in erstwhile Vindhya Pradesh. MPCC chief Arun Yadav’s father, Subhash Yadav, was deputy chief minister.

In most cases dotting fathers pushed for their sons.

Former CM Kailash Joshi tried hard to promote his son, Deepak. Sunderlal Patwa, who was CM twice, rooted for his foster son, Surendra. Both are now ministers in MP.

Motilal Vora, who was also CM twice, pushed for his son, Arun, who is an MLA in Chhattisgarh.

Digvijay Singh was the only CM of MP, apart from Chouhan, who ruled for two complete terms. He groomed his son, Jaivardhan, as an MLA and  promoted his brother, Lakshman Singh, who reached both parliament and assembly.

Dynasties are not always founded by fathers.

SC Shukla, who was CM twice, was impervious to his son, Amitesh’s desire to join politics. But Digvijay Singh promoted Amitesh, who later became a minister in Chhattisgarh, as part of his Machiavellian machination.

SC Shukla’s father, Ravi Shankar Shukla was the first chief minister of MP and brother VC Shukla was a minister in central government for decades.

Interesting is the case of Raja Nareshchandra Singh, who was MP’s chief minister for a 13 days in 1969. For over 67 years five members of the erstwhile royal family have functioned as ministers in central government, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh and members of parliament and assemblies.

Another political family is that of former CM, GN Singh. His one son, Harsh, is now a minister and another Dhruv Narain, was an MLA.

At least one former CM’s son made a place for himself without his fathers’ backing – VK Sakhlecha’s son, Omprakash, who is currently a BJP MLA. But most CMs pushed their wards.

Bhagwantrao Mandloi drafted his son and daughter in law as MLAs.

His sucessor, KN Katju's son, Shiva Nath Katju, was a Congress MLA from Phoolpur in UP and subsequently an MLC in that state.

DP Mishra made his brorther Satyendra Mishra a legislator after he was disqualified.

PC Sethi did not have a son, he had five daughters. One of his son-in-laws, Ashok Patni had contested assembly election on Congress ticket.

Uma Bharti appointed elder brother Swami Lodhi, who was an MLA earlier, to a government corporation. Babulal Gaur propped his daughter in law as mayor of Bhopal.

Given this background, it is a unfair to single out Kartikey, who is, in any case, not eligible to contest election till May 2019.

Grapevine has it that at least one dozen prominent ministers and senior BJP leaders would be seeking party ticket for their sons to contest assembly election this year, adding to the existing long list of 50 MPs and MLAs from Madhya Pradesh who belong to political dynasties.

Powers That Be, my column in DB Post of 15 Jan 2017

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