Anil Anand
As much the political system of India talks against the dynastic politics- mostly from the electoral perspective to score brownie points- the more it is witnessing this trend- travelling from generation to generation and form one political leader to the other. There is no harm and there is nothing unconstitutional about as the wards of political leaders have a right to pursue a political career, provided they are not foisted from the top.
A different kind of sonrise has taken place in the political horizon of the country which has almost gone unnoticed. More so in the cool environs of politically controversial and hot Kashmir Valley. A low-profile launch without trappings of a VIP son entering politics with fanfare. Not only that the new entrant to the terrain-tried and tested with success by his father- surprisingly chose to silently witness the proceedings of a youth rally held in the heart of Srinagar city.
Launching his son into politics by former Congressman and an old warhorse, Ghulam Nabi Azad, was as surprising as his severing ties with the Congress where he cut his political teeth. He did make an event, and rightly too, of his quitting Congress to form Democratic Azad Party since changed to Democratic Progressive Azad Party (DPAP) to meet requirements of the Election Commission of India. But not the launching of his son.
Saddam Nabi Azad, 41, a businessman though a trifle late in following his father’s foot-steps made his first public appearance at a DPAP youth rally held at once Kashmir’s prestigious Nagin Club lawns. His plunge into politics was without any splash and did not make big headlines.
Nevertheless, this is an interesting development when Azad senior is making every effort to ensure that his new party establishes a connect with the people particularly after highly successful Jammu and Kashmir-leg of Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Yatra (BJY) which attracted large section of the youth in the Valley. Is the young, dashing and handsome Saddam a counter-move to rally the youth behind DPAP?
It was not by chance that he was present at the youth rally which had been carefully planned to have a packed house of enthusiastic youth. DPAP chairman Ghulam Nabi Azad’s son Saddam Nabi Azad has joined active politics, a party spokesperson confirmed after the rally. The clarification came though there was no formal ceremony to launch him into politics and induct in the party.
Purely from Jammu and Kashmir perspective dynastic politics has been an accepted norm now. And there is nothing new in yet another dynast entering politics. What makes it interesting is that Mr Azad had till date kept his wards out of political glare and unlike his many peers in politics both at the national and J &K levels never shown inclination to launch either his son or daughter into politics at least till the time he was ruling the roost in Congress.
Why now? This is an interesting and curious question.
Sheikh Mohammed Abdullah’s two generations- Dr Farooq Abdullah, his brother Dr Mustafa Kamal, sister Mrs Khalida Shah, and his (Farooq’s) son Omar Abdullah, both former chief ministers, are already in politics. So are the daughter and son- Mehbooba Mufti and Tassduq Hussain Mufti, of another former chief minister Mufti Mohammed Sayeed. The daughter became chief minister and son joined politics after the Mufti’s demise.
There are others of the ilk of Bilal Lone and Sajjad Lone, sons of former minister and legislator who later turned separatist, Abdul Ghani Lone, who are running their father’s party People’s Conference, Salman Soz, son of former Union Minister and ex-Pradesh Congress Committee chief, Prof Saifuddin Soz.
Mr Saddam Azad’s political entry has taken place under different political circumstances if compared to others. It has been different both in terms of approach and methodology with no heat and dust raised to mark the launch. It might be akin to the low-profile and quite style of functioning of Ghulam Nabi Azad but not in line with the culture of high-profile launch of VIP wards witnessed from time to time.
The different approach was marked by the Azad junior neither addressing the convention nor having been assigned any party post. It was also marked by the former chief minister informing the gathering that he had asked his son to travel to the length and breadth of the Valley as a commoner, without any security.”I told him that way you can get to know what the people think and want in reality. Otherwise, people show us the unrealistic picture. This is the way to learn” he said.
Later, in a tweet, Mr Azad expressed happiness over his son’s entry into politics and expressed hope that he would live up to the expectations of the people. “Attended a youth interaction programme at Srinagar. Listening to our youth and creating diverse job opportunities for them will be my priority if voted to power. I am glad to see my son Saddam Azad actively joining politics. I hope he lives up to people’s expectations!” Mr Azad Twitted.
Be it the 2005 earthquake that rocked border areas of Kashmir or the floods that ravaged the Valley in 2015, Saddam Azad quietly undertook relief measures and reached out to the victims. “He went around distributing relief without a security cover or mentioning his father’s name,” the DPAP sources said.
What role will he play in the DPAP or Jammu and Kashmir politics, is still not clear. Has he been drafted by Mr Azad to counter the younger set of leaders in rival National Conference, Peoples Democratic Party and Congress (in the aftermath of Mr Gandhi’s BYJ in J&K)?
Saddam Azad, married to Delhi based fashion designer Gauri Karan, daughter of a former bureaucrat couple, has at least one task cut out for him before he gets going with his own agenda. Ostensibly, he has entered politics to help his father steer the fledgling DPAP to stability and create a niche for itself in the turbulent politics of J&K which is different from Omar Abdullah’s and Mehbooba Mufti’s cases.
They had entered politics in a comfort zone to carry forward their family legacy and became chief ministers whereas Mr Saddam Azad, though is attached to a political legacy, has forayed into politics under difficult circumstances, with a new political party and facing the onslaught in the Muslim majority Union Territory on his father’s purported cosy relations with the Narendra Modi government.
What makes it interesting is that despite Ghulam Nabi Azad being the first chief minister from Jammu region, though his ancestors hailed from Kashmir Valley, chose to launch his son not from Jammu but the land of his ancestors.It is another matter that his mother Shamima Azad is a famed Kashmiri-folk singer.
Why Srinagar’s Nagin Club and not his own native Chenab Valley in Jammu region or per se Jammu if not Delhi since he is heading a state-level party?
It seems that Azad senior has set his eyes on Kashmir-centric politics rather than Jammu which is considered a BJP-stronghold. And to compete with gen-next of Abdullahs, Muftis, Lones and Sozs.
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