Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin has inducted his son Udhaynidhi in his cabinet. Udhayanidhi Stalin has been sworn in as minister in Youth Welfare and Sports Development, in his father’s cabinet today.
Udhayanidhi is also the president of the youth wing of the party. Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) have slammed Stalin for promoting his dynasty. This phenomenon is now being called “coronation corruption”.
Udaynidhi’s induction has led to speculations that just like Karunanidhi had passed the baton to MK Stalin, Udhayanidhi will become DMK’s CM frontrunner.
This “coronation corruption” isn’t confined to just DMK KCR’s Telangana Rashtra Samiti is also steeped in dynasty politics.
K Chandrasekhar Rao’s son K T Rama Rao is a minister in the state cabinet holding important portfolios of IT, Industries and Urban Development, while his daughter Kalwakuntla Kavitha is MP of Nizamabad and is nurturing the ambition of entering the Central cabinet and also taking forward the national wing of the regional party – Bharat Rashtra Samiti (BRS).
KTR’s nephew T Harish Rao is already a seasoned politician and had been a minister during the YSR regime and now in KCR cabinet. Another nephew of KCR Joginipalli Santhosh Rao joined in 2017 and is current a Rajya Sabha MP.
As BJP enters south and aggressively attempting to increase its electoral footprint, the party’s central leadership frequently attacks deep seated practice of dynasty politics in south. In May this year, addressing party workers at an event organised by the Telangana BJP unit at Begumpet Airport in Hyderabad, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that the BJP aims to target those who play dynasty politics.
“Family politics does not allow enthusiastic youths to enter politics. They are deprived of opportunities. This is the 21st century and we should do away with dynasty politics in Telangana too. Wherever dynasty politics has been wiped out, there has been development and growth. Family politics is a threat to democracy, and as soon as a ‘parivari party’ comes to power, they become corrupt. The family tries to hold on to power for as long as possible,” he had said.
In August, while addressing a rally in Vijayawada, BJP chief JP Nadda had expressed similar sentiments. “Political culture and quality has changed because of the leadership of Narendra Modi. We are fighting dynastic parties that have become a danger to the democracy of the nation. there are either baap-bete (father-son) parties or baap-beti (father-daughter) and bua-bhatija (aunt-nephew) party,” he said.