The BJP is fast turning out to be a party of “Dhritrashtras” (the character in epic Mahabharata, who ruined Hastinapur, the seat of power, because of his love for son). The latest among the lot is the party unit chief in election-bound Bihar C.P. Thakur, who resigned from the post as the party decided not to field his son Vivek Thakur from the Assembly constituency of his choice.
Dr Thakur’s case is not new in the party, which has always criticised the Congress for “dynastic politics”. It has always succumbed to pressures from senior leaders to accommodate their sons and daughters. The list in the BJP, like the Congress, is also very long. In most of states where the BJP has substantial presence, including Maharastra, Rajasthan, Himachal Pradesh, MP and UP, the story is the same. In Rajasthan, BJP leader Jaswant Singh and former CM Vasundhara Raje promoted their sons Manvendra Singh and Dushyant Singh. In Maharashtra, the Mahajan clan, including Gopinath Munde, promoted their daughters Poonam Mahajan and Pankaja Munde. In Himachal, CM Prem Kumar Dhumal’s son Anurag Thakur is fast becoming a formidable leader with his appointment as the party’s Yuva Morcha’s president.