A million dollar question before the merging Janata Parivar is , will they be able to put Janata before Parivar and keep the unity of old socialist family leaders intact? Because they have turned ideology into their own caste and family matter and have forgotten sacrifices made and required to uplift the downtrodden, it is difficult to believe that would not part their ways again. Although leaders like Laoo, Mulayam,Nitish, Devgoda have declared that they stand united, but the process is still to be completed with issues of party symbol, name, flag and other formalities remain pending. Will Mulayam’s cycle be able to identify with voters imagination in coming Bihar’s election or people will remain confused between arrow, lantern and cycle? In the same way Mulayam’s family is questioning the rational of the unity for Uttar Pradesh where Jd(U) and RJD have no presence at all.
Parivar is an older institution than Janata. Janata or Praja term came after the formation of state. Specially in modern times when democracy the most sustainable form of governance put Janata at the center of every activity and above every institution , parivar as an institution still survives and calls the shot in not only politics but economy also. Great modern thinker Francis Fukuyama underlines the structure and special character of Indian and East Asian Bourgeoisie based on family institution. In the same manner Indian democratic politics came under tight grip of dynastic rule. Congress is the worst sufferer or inheritor of that democratic disease but others are not far behind.
Except Bhartiya Janta Party and Communist parties most of the political outfits operating in states gradually converted themselves into dynastic organizations. As they forgot the ideological objective to remain united and have faith in political workers, the only thing remained as glue for their political going was family and dynastic value. Although it started from Nehru and Indira that only daughter or son can be trusted in the unreliable atmosphere of politics but it become central character of all those parties which rose to challenge Brahminism, Castism, Hindu nationalism and bring equality as well circulate elite in politics. DMK, Akali DAl, PDP, NC, NCP, SP, RJD, TDP, Shiv Sena all have the same dynastic character.
But at present Sangh parivar, which is not a parivar in the traditional sense, has developed a non- dynastic party BJP as a role model before the nation. Although BJP is a Hindu Nationalist party but it has internal democracy and almost free from Parivarvad.Moving on those lines BJP has adopted the formula of social engineering and it is no longer a Brahmin-Bania dominated urban middle class party. It has absorbed Mandal politics and it is also trying to adopt dalit discourse. So now the Janata Parivar has BJP as principal opponent before it, not the Baap- Beti or Maa-Beta party like Congress. Janata forces must realize that they can not bank only on Backward castes by invoking Mandal-2 in the form of reservation in Judiciary or attracting minority by simply putting them under fear of Hindu Nationalism. Hindu nationalists are cunning enough to neutralize these tactics. So Janata unity will not click simply by adding the vote percentage of RJD and JD(U) combine(since other parties vote’s have no chance to provide cumulative effect). They have to imbibe great socialist tradition of sacrifice , learn some organizational and democratic skills from BJP and put family behind and promote the party.
Arun Kumar Tripathi
अरुण कुमार त्रिपाठी, लेखक वरिष्ठ पत्रकार व राजनीतिक विश्लेषक हैं।

Hastakshep