Chacha vs Bhatija: Family Feuds Are Not New to Indian Politics
The recent Akhilesh-Shivpal Yadav family feud is not the first and definitely not the last to emerge in public eye.
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The ongoing civil war between Akhilesh Yadav and his uncle Shivpal has grabbed quite a few eyeballs. But such feuds between chacha-bhatija pairs – or even bua-bhatija duos – are not unusual in Indian politics. Right from Indira Gandhi and Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit (who supposedly could not stand each other) to the tiff between the Badals, Indian politics has seen it all.
It should, therefore, take much more to shock us.
Here’s a look at some of the most famous feuds between family members in the Indian political establishment:
Akhilesh Yadav-Shivpal Yadav
When Mulayam Singh Yadav replaced son Akhilesh with Shivpal as UP Samajwadi Party Chief, the young CM was left fuming. He retaliated by snatching away all key portfolios from his uncle. The Akhilesh-Shivpal squabble has enough drama and twists to make it one of the most talked about family-cum-political feuds of recent times.
Parkash Singh Badal-Manpreet Singh Badal
This chacha-bhatija pair has shared an uneasy relationship ever since Manpreet was ousted from the Punjab cabinet and the Shiromani Akali Dal for indiscipline by Parakash Singh Badal’s son Sukhbir. Manpreet went on to join the Congress, becoming a political adversary of his own family members.
Sharad Pawar-Ajit Pawar
The classic story of claiming the right to the throne is what lies behind the clash of the Pawars. The rift between Sharad and Ajit widened after Supriya Sule became active in the NCP, eventually emerging as heir apparent to her father. This, of course, led to Ajit’s resignation as the deputy CM of Maharashtra, besides sowing the seeds of a continuing cold war between the uncle-nephew pair.
Gopinath Munde-Dhananjay Munde
The chasm between Gopinath Munde and his nephew Dhananjay came out into the open when Munde Junior openly revolted against the BJP leader. Dhananjay went on to join hands with the Sharad Pawar-led NCP. The estranged relatives never buried the hatchet after that.
Bal Thackeray-Raj Thackeray
The tiff between Bal Thackery and nephew Raj has to be one of the most talked-about feuds to have rocked Indian politics. A prime reason for this could be the sharp similarities between the two protagonists. However, Uddhav’s emergence as the senior Thackeray’s heir over Raj marked the end of the peace between this uncle-nephew pair. Raj quit the Shiv Sena in 2006 to form his own party, the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena . The animosity between Uddhav and Raj simmers till this day.
Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit-Indira Gandhi
The clash of ambitions, strong personalities and the desire to inherit the highest political post in the land is what lies behind the troubled relationship between Indira Gandhi and her bua Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit. According to Khushwant Singh, the two women could not even stand each other. In fact, the faltering of Vijaya Lakshmi’s political career was marked by Indira’s political ascendancy.
Vasundhara Raje-Jyotiraditya Scindia
This feud, though under much public scrutiny from time to time, has more to do with an inheritance of political rivalry rather than some direct problem between Jyotiraditya and Vasundhara. The tiff between the two political leaders was passed on to them as a part of their legacy: Vasundhara’s mother was a Jan Sangh and BJP member while Jyotiraditya’s father had been associated with the Congress.
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Published: 15 Sep 2016,04:35 PM IST