Amit Shah and Akhilesh Yadav Trade Jabs in Lok Sabha Over Party Leadership and Dynasty Politics

During the Lok Sabha debate on the Waqf Amendment Bill, a moment of light-hearted banter between Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav caught public attention. The exchange began when Yadav took a sarcastic dig at the BJP, criticizing the delay in announcing its new national president despite being the "world’s largest political party."

Shah's Witty Retort

Responding with a smile, Amit Shah remarked that unlike dynastic opposition parties, the BJP must choose from a pool of over 12–13 crore members, making the selection process more complex and time-consuming. “Akhilesh ji will remain president for the next 25 years — after all, in your party, leadership is limited to five family members,” Shah quipped.

Historical Context and BJP’s Record

While the SP has been led by members of the Yadav family since its formation in 1992, the BJP has had 11 different national presidents in the last four decades, including Atal Bihari Vajpayee, LK Advani, Murli Manohar Joshi, Rajnath Singh, and Amit Shah himself. The current president, JP Nadda, was given an extension in 2023 due to the general elections in 2024.

Reports indicate the BJP will likely appoint a new national president by mid-April, following the end of the ongoing parliamentary session.

Dynasty Politics in Focus

Shah’s comments also reignited the long-standing debate over dynastic politics in India. While Congress has had non-family presidents like Mallikarjun Kharge, four out of seven of its leaders since 1980 were from the Nehru-Gandhi family. Sonia Gandhi held the presidency for over 20 years, and Rahul Gandhi served a term as well.

Akhilesh Yadav, who succeeded his father Mulayam Singh Yadav, is just one example among many opposition leaders who inherited party leadership:

TMC: Mamata Banerjee remains the only president since its founding in 1998.

BSP: Mayawati continues to lead, with speculation around her nephew Akash Anand.

RJD: Tejashwi Yadav now shares equal authority with father Lalu Prasad Yadav.

DMK: MK Stalin took over from his father M Karunanidhi.

AAP: Arvind Kejriwal has led since its inception in 2012.

Shiv Sena (UBT): Uddhav Thackeray now leads the faction started by his father Bal Thackeray.

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