Why Akhilesh’s stand against dynastic politics by not letting wife contest polls reeks of patriarchy

On Sunday, Akhilesh Yadav said that he won't let his wife Dimple contest polls next time. His comment came in the light of dynastic politics. The BJP criticised those who follow dynastic politics.

New Delhi, Sep 25: Since the time Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi at an interaction with students at the University of California, Berkeley, in the United States (US) said that "India is run by dynasts" recently, a debate has started back home about the prevalence of dynastic politics in the country.

While the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has strongly condemned Rahul's open celebration of dynastic politics, leaders like former Uttar Pradesh chief minister and son of Samajwadi Party (SP) patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav, Akhilesh Yadav, has come out in support of the Congress VP.

However, on Sunday, while interacting with reporters in Raipur, Chhattisgarh, when Akhilesh was once again confronted with the question over dynastic politics, the SP president said that as a step against the syndrome he won't let his wife Dimple contest the next polls.

"If we practice dynastic politics, then I promise that my wife (Dimple) won't contest elections next time. (Agar hamara parivaarvaad hai toh hum tay kartey hain ki agli baar hamari patni chunav nahi ladengi)," Akhilesh was quoted as saying by ANI.

In Mulayam's family, most of his family members are in politics. Along with his elder son Akhilesh, his two daughters-in-law (including Dimple), his brothers and other relatives, more than two dozen people from the Yadav family are in politics. Dimple is a member of Parliament (MP) from Kannauj constituency in Uttar Pradesh.

Akhilesh's comment to challenge the BJP has come at a time when the Narendra Modi government is planning to table the long-pending Women's Reservation Bill in Lok Sabha soon.

If the bill gets passed it would become mandatory to reserve 33 per cent of the Lok Sabha and the state legislative Assemblies seats for women.

Akhilesh, in spite of having an engineering degree to his name, spoke like a typical male chauvinist, who instead of letting his wife decide on her political career made her a "scapegoat" in the entire "dynastic politics" debate.

If Akhilesh is so serious to show his commitment against rule of dynasts in India, he should first quit politics himself. After making the announcement that he won't let his wife contest the next polls, Akhilesh challenged the BJP to talk about their dynastic politics.

"Most parties in India have that problem So...Mr. Akhilesh Yadav is a dynast. Mr. Stalin [son of M. Karunanidhi in the DMK] is a dynast... even Abhishek Bachchhan is a dynast. So that's how India runs. So don't get after me because that's how they India is run. By the way, last, I recall, Mr. Ambanis are running the business. That's also going on in Infosys. So that's what happens in India," Rahul said in the US, as he listed several prominent Indians born into famous families.

OneIndia News