Dynasty in Politics

The Preamble of  The  Constitution of India states ...

WE, THE PEOPLE OF INDIA, having solemnly resolved to constitute India into a SOVEREIGN, SOCIALIST, SECULAR, DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC and to secure to all its citizens:
JUSTICE, social, economic and political;
LIBERTY of thought, expression, belief, faith and worship;
EQUALITY of status and of opportunity; and to promote among them all
FRATERNITY assuring the dignity of the individual and the unity and integrity of the Nation;
IN OUR CONSTITUENT ASSEMBLY this 26th day of November, 1949, do HEREBY ADOPT, ENACT AND GIVE TO OURSELVES THIS CONSTITUTION.

• Equality of status and of opportunity means all men are equal and can aspire for any political positions irrespective of caste, creed, color, or any thing which includes the so much talked about 'dynasty'. There is no way 'dynasts' can be relegated as 'untouchables' in independent India.
• It is no body's job to install or pave way for the ascending of aspiring common man occupy such positions. If the process has become so much cumbersome and expensive it is not the fault of 'dynasts'. It is our own political and social problem.
• Can we debar effective communicators like Modi, KCR etc paving way for so called aspiring common man? If 'dynasts' have some inherent advantages of their fore fathers and money that is their good luck. Everybody looks forward standing on the shoulders of their parents & grandparents. Nothing wrong in that.
• These days, money is playing decisive role in politics and it is due to failure of government, institutions and people themselves. Not the failure of constitution. Education, awareness and independent media are the keys.
• Social justice is not a goal or a dead end. In a good society there would be many above the thin line of 'Social Justice' and few below. The other way round like in India is worrisome. It is the responsibility of underprivileged to work hard and alleviate themselves and also the duty of Society and Government to extend helping hand to accelerate the same.
• Representative & Constitution based Democracy is neither perfect nor foolproof but is the least worst forms of Democracy. There is no such thing called ideal democracy.
• Extreme democracy, as practiced in 'small & rich' Switzerland too has many aberrations.
• The beauty of Indian democracy is that very often erring famous people encounter defeat and were sent into oblivion indicates its inherent strength and resilience. But that should not be a limiting factor in eradicating most of the ills the of society, if not all.
• As long as our economic policies aids corruption & capitalism in the name of 'rewarding the talent' and in reality rewards the rich, educated and perverted who will continue to become richer while poor will remain poorer resulting in Gini coefficient increasing beyond limits and eventually could result in social unrest and destruction of the nation.
• In a democracy 'Elected Executive' stands tallest of all. If institutions proactively doesn't control erring executive, at every step, democracy dies and authoritarianism erupts. The real power is with that person who control Money, Police & Military i.e. The Executive. Institutions have no jurisdiction over them. Where ever 'Elected Super Boss' subverts constitution and institutions, dictatorships have ruled those nations. It is imperative for people to elect good person to positions of power. People can't elect rogues to rule them and expect institutions to control him with checks and balances. Life doesn't work that way. 
• Every undebated and nontransparent decision of Executive & Legislature must be subjected to judicial scrutiny prior to its implementation.

“If men were angels, no government would be necessary. If angels were to govern men, neither external nor internal controls on government would be necessary. In framing a government which is to be administered by men over men, the great difficulty lies in this: you must first enable the government to control the governed; and in the next place oblige it to control itself.” ― James Madison

Why do people vote for 'dynasts'? That is because familiarity of that family with the people and people enjoyed some benefits of their generosity in the past. Why do parties rally behind dynasts with in the party? That is because of their belief in their charisma to hold the party together. Without Sonia Gandhi or Rahul Gandhi at the helm of Congress party, it would disintegrate. As long as so called 'dynasts' have popular mandate, it is perfectly in order. What is wrong in standing on the shoulders of forefathers and looking forward? Which everybody does. Some years ago an ageing cricket batsman was asked when he would retire paving way for young aspirants. He said that he wouldn't do any such thing and it is for the young new cricketer to work hard and prove better than him and displace him. That answers the concept of merit, the underpin of democracy.

Rahul Gandhi's plain speak at Berkeley

Rahul Gandhi’s candour and aggression at Berkeley unsettled the BJP and pepped up the Congress. The 47-year-old Congress scion himself the foremost dynast in Indian polity and his party lost the 2014 Lok Sabha elections primarily because of the stigma of corruption. It was a scenario that Rahul Gandhi seemed to speak in a mature way, not running away from the realities of India and the Congress.

• BJP leaders cracked jokes about his going to Berkeley but it kicked up a political storm back home.
• He attacked the Modi government and said he was ready to become Congress president and the prime minister candidate for the Lok Sabha elections in 2019. 
• He was also upfront on dynastic politics.
• He condemned the anti-Sikh riots unequivocally.
• What can destroy our momentum is the opposite energy: hatred, anger and violence and the politics of polarisation which has raised its ugly head in India today ... Rahul said.
• Rahul attacked the PM for taking ad hoc decisions in a reckless and dangerous manner. Demonetisation, a completely self-inflicted wound, caused approximately 2% loss in India’s GDP,” he said.
• He said 30,000 new youngsters were joining the job market every day, and, the government was creating only 500 jobs a day. He said the economic decline was worrying and had led to an upsurge of anger. He ripped into the hastily-applied GST.
• Rahul accused Modi of running a propaganda machinery to sully his image. There’s a BJP machine, a thousand guys with computers, to abuse me, tell you I am reluctant, I am stupid... It is a tremendous machine. All day they spread abuse about me, and the operation is run by the gentleman who is running our country, he said.
• As he took on Modi, it was clear that he is the main opponent of the prime minister. He admitted to Modi’s skills. He is a very good communicator, probably better than me - he said.
• The onslaught rattled the BJP, which launched its top guns to mount a counter attack. Union Minister Smriti Irani called Rahul a failed dynast. People occupying the top constitutional posts, President Ram Nath Kovind, Vice President Venkaiah Naidu and the Prime Minister, they all come from humble backgrounds.
• BJP president Amit Shah said failed leaders were running off to the US to lecture as no one listened to them back home. 
• The joke in BJP circles is that Rahul is the saffron party’s biggest asset. BJP often reacts in a disproportionate manner. Every time he has attacked Modi or the BJP the BJP goes after him. And Irani, who lost to Rahul in Amethi in 2014, is his prime attacker.
• The one time that the BJP had really got rattled was when Rahul called the BJP government “Suit Boot Ki Sarkar”. The title seems to have damaged Modi’s image and BJP lost Delhi assembly elections in 2015. Ever since, Modi has been trying to project his government as being on the side of the underprivileged.
• Despite winning the UP elections and forming the government in Bihar, BJP has been troubled by price rise, failure of demonetisation, the economic downturn, low employment opportunities. And in the aftermath of journalist Gauri Lankesh’s murder, the social media wave has turned against the BJP.
• Coincidentally, a day after Rahul’s speech, BJP's ABVP lost to the Congress’s NSUI, in the Delhi University Students’ Union elections, after being in power for four years.
• By expressing willingness to lead the Congress party, Rahul has energised the party with no room for leadership ambiguity. Rahul’s willingness to be prime ministerial candidate is likely to have a positive impact on the assembly polls in Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh later this year, and Karnataka next year.
• Rahul spoke with unusual candour on dynastic politics. Most parties in India have that problem. That is how India runs. Don’t get after me because that is how the entire country is running. By the way, Mr Ambani’s kids were running the business and that was also going on in Infosys.
• Once Rahul takes over next month, several Congress leaders who were comfortable working with Sonia will have some tough time.
• Rahul admitted the party had lost touch with the ground reality as it became arrogant, leading to its loss in the Lok Sabha elections 2014. He showed remarkable candour in giving an insight into what is wrong with the Congress and what has to be done.
• Rahul's template for the party as it takes on the BJP in the assembly elections as well as the Lok Sabha polls is (1) Murder of journalist Gauri Lankesh (2) RBI report confirms failure of demonetisation (3) Failure to get its OBC constitutional bill passed in its original form (4) GDP growth at three-year low of 5.7% (5) Worrying unemployment trends (6) Problems in GST implementation (7) SC overruling government’s objections to privacy as constitutional right (8) Failure to defeat Ahmed Patel in Gujarat RS polls (9) Kashmir crisis

For the first time, the BJP has to deploy its best to defend the prime minister. The spokespersons came prepared to take on the government, as a good opposition party should do. In response to Rahul's confession that dynasty is a reality in India, and cited examples, Irani's comment that he came from a failed dynasty, sounded cheap. A dynasty that has held a political party together for more than 70 years and country united and democracy intact, can hardly be called “failed”. A dynasty that had three generations in the office of prime minister, and made three others prime minister, cannot be called “failed”.  It can hardly be said that Rahul was telling lies. BJP only has to look inwards, and it will find that dynasty is indeed true in the Indian context. BJP too has numerous dynasts in itself. Congress party has been made almost irrelevant but there is scope for a spectacular revival, which makes the BJP take serious note. While Congress scams during UPA I & II, the losses are quantifiable and they never meddled with lives of poor & peasants, Modi's reckless adventures inflicted incalculable injuries to all people of India especially to poor & peasants and losses are unquantifiable. In the process, constitution was undermined, cabinet & parliament ciphered, citizen's rights trampled, rule of the law destroyed, judiciary weakened, institutions made irrelevant and India's democracy is indeed perilous. 

Democracy and its Perils

• Democracy is a political system which combines the elements of fairness, legitimacy and effectiveness. It is the least worst system. 
• Democracy is imperfect and, when misapplied or incorrectly interpreted, can be saddled with flaws and weaknesses. 
• Democracy is the most expensive & inefficient form of governance.
• A democracy is not a democracy unless it has independent and strong institutions that help facilitate good governance and right thinking citizens demanding accountability and transparency.
• Proper democracy is far more than a perpetual ballot process. It must include deliberation, mature independent institutions and checks and balances. It may include educated citizens, strong civil society and strong laws.
• Freedom is an essential part of democracy. Freedom is essential for both the ruled and the ruler.
• Unfettered freedom brings with it its own hazards that would undermine the institutions that help sustain democracy.
• The victim of democracy is the politics itself. Politics in a democratic set up tends to be looked upon with contempt by the people. It is much maligned and abused field in all the democracies.
• Politicians once elected to power become the custodians and abusers of power.
• Bad politics leads to corruption. As the people responsible for corruption are ‘enabled’ to loot the exchequer either by the loopholes in the laws or indifferent ‘people’ who form the very basis of democracy.
• Corruption has reached gargantuan proportions, because of the indifferent attitude of the people and enabling environment provided by democracy for the corrupt to practice their art. 
• Democracy aides both the individual and the ‘corrupt’ authority. Democracy with weak institutions gives them free hand to run the government, they tend to err, and err with impunity.
• Criminalization of politics is the biggest peril of democracy. With it comes misuse of position and authority. It inevitably leads to corruption.
• Corruption directly brings underdevelopment and spawns poverty. In India poverty is the major benefactor for the politicians. As long as poverty is sustained, they can amass wealth – always unaccounted.
• Democracy promotes capitalism which in turn results in uneven wealth distribution. Rich becomes much richer while poor remain poorer.
• Risk of capitalism is usually socialized while profits gets privatized.
• Democracy in itself is not a threat, but any weak link within it is bound to weaken the whole structure.
• Democracy has become synonymous with elections and is reduced to the process of elections.
• In democracy poor people vote, and the elected become rich at the cost of the poor. It’s a government of the rich, for the poor to sustain the poverty. This sounds cynical, but hard facts vindicate the statement. If 70% of India’s population still earns less than Rs 50 per day, even after 70 years of independence, should we compliment ourselves or introspect?
• Development has suffered more in democracy than in other forms of governments. Though it is fashionable to say that democracy is better than despotism despite lack of development, does it do justice to the vast millions who go to sleep hungry?
• Within democracy, we need a change of mindset both of the people and politicians in their attitude towards development. We are witnessing the loot of our resources by the powerful few who are covertly supported by the government machinery. Every penny that’s put to improve the lot of this country is unaccounted for. The crux is lack of accountability.
• Education of the masses and strong institutions is a solution to most problems in India.
• Institutions which are not pestered and interfered by the ruling classes perform better. The fear that these institutions if given complete autonomy would grow as a threat is unfounded. The Supreme Court of India and Election commission of India are governed by bureaucrats, not by the elected politicians. These institutions function well within the scope of our constitution.
• Our military has gained reputation for being fair to its people and the constitution. Where there is no interference by the politics, the institutions serve well. For a democracy to thrive and bring development to the masses, we need independent institutions to act as check and balances on the government.
• We need universities which are not at the mercy of government; we need public service commissions not interfered in their functioning by the government; we need a strong Lokpal to punish the corrupt; strong local governments to bring development at the bottom; independent CBI and a police force which is pro-people; the list goes on.
• These changes are not difficult to bring on. It is the will which is missing, lest it affects the power of few to amass the wealth. Perils of democracy are the result of loopholes within it. To plug them, we need to fight. Of course, non-violently.
• A blanket endorsement of it as a convenient panacea will do more harm than good.
• There are very few nations on this Earth, which openly reject the notion of democracy. Most countries espouse it, or at least offer it lip service.
• Myth #1: The people can do no wrong.  The legitimacy of majority rule with no reservations or caveats raises the issue of sub-units within the voters viz territorial, cultural, ethnic or religious. What happens if the people change their minds? Democracy cannot be just if it is not just over time. Does a coalition automatically legitimize the action of individuals or groups or nations without regard to higher principles of morality or ethics? The doctrine of popular infallibility can be kept as a useful reference point but must not be abused or overextended.
• Myth # 2: Direct  democracy is always better than representative democracy. Given the volatility of public opinion, the complexity of social psychology and the possibility of inter generational conflicts, the representative democracy is often superior to direct democracy, with the representatives acting as buffer. Mistakes can then be attributed to representatives and not to the people. The conventional assumption is that the will of the people should always trump that of the elites. The principal arguments against leaving too many decisions to the direct appreciation of the masses can be summarized as follows: (1) Uninformed or insufficiently informed electorate (2) Influence of money and media (3) People changing their mind (4) Contradictory Referenda (5) Deleterious effect on public policy.
• Myth #3: Democracy trumps all other social goals. The backlash against Dumb Democracy is the realization that democratization, although a valid goal, is not the only desirable one that a Society can legitimately aspire to. The following compete for priority with democracy. (1) Peace (2) Justice (3) Liberty & Freedom (4) Security (5) Good governance (6) Escape from extreme poverty (7) Public Vs Private goods (8) Good health (9) Traditional values (10) Climate change and sustainable development. 
• Myth #4: Democratic countries will never go to war against each other. There is a frequent assumption that once a country becomes democratic it will renounce violence, avoid going to war especially against other democracies, and try to resolve outstanding problems by peaceful means. Experience shows that the relationship between democracy and war is actually very complex and far from straightforward. 
• Myth #5: National democracy automatically leads to global democracy. Will a world composed of democratic nation-states automatically mean that it will also be democratic? This question is as complex and there are no simple answers. The UN Security Council, with coercive powers, is composed of five permanent members with veto powers who appointed themselves to that position. The other non-permanent members are elected by the UN General Assembly, but do not have veto power. The elected President of United States has real authority over the whole world by virtue of the overwhelming military power, which it has used in Iraq and threatens to do so elsewhere. There is a serious democratic deficit where 2% of the world’s voting population manages to have a determining influence on the entire world.
• There is no formula of global democracy and every formula suffer from inefficiencies and conflict of goals. The attempted simple transition from national to global democracy without a lot of preparation and adaptation is therefore destined to fail unless treated with a more sophisticated analysis.
• Other than democracy, there are no other known political alternatives which will work in the long run.  There is no permanent security in tyrants and the checks and balances of democracy make it the only sustainable political system, which can claim both long-term efficiency and legitimacy. Democracy must prevail because of mounting global interdependence requiring team responses and collective decision-making. A leader has to motivate his troops and keep their confidence. No single individual holds absolute power anymore, and everyone has to report to some group or a parliament, all leaders are accountable to some committee of peers, which makes democracy sustainable, indispensable and inevitable. 
• The modalities of this accountability have to be modulated and perfected.
• The construction of a democratic state must be gradual and well planned. It can rarely be imposed by non-democratic means. Democracy by force of arms is self-defeating. 

 In framing a government which is to be administered by men over men, the great 
difficulty lies in this: you must first enable the government to control the governed; 
and in the next place oblige it to control itself ... James Madison

The Perils of Dumb Democracy


Ambedkar described constitution as a fundamental document stated that the purpose of a constitution is not merely to create the organs of the state but to limit their authority because if no limitation was imposed upon the authority of the organs, there will be complete tyranny and complete oppression. The legislature may be free to frame any law; the executive may be free to take any decision, and the Supreme Court may be free to give any interpretation of the law. It would result in utter chaos. Constitutional morality is not a natural sentiment. It has to be cultivated. We must realise that our people have yet to learn it. Democracy in India is only a top-dressing on an Indian soil which is essentially undemocratic. Demonetisation has negated the fundamental and constitutional rights of Indians. By forcing every Indian, and not just the black marketers and counterfeiters, to stand in queues to withdraw hard earned money, our elected government has insulted all. Citizens have been temporarily deprived of property by a single fiat, even though the constitution says this can only be done with the authority of law. Countless have died, been rendered jobless, hungry and homeless. Is this a democratic act? RBI has been reduced to cipher. Fiscal policy has become political and the finance ministry redundant. The parliament and the cabinet have been turned into a mere formality. Judiciary appears seriously weakened. It is not easy for the victims of police and investigative agencies to get any relief against wrongful detentions and prosecutions. But it is the concerted attack on institution after institution by the Modi government that raises serious concerns. Bhakti in religion may be a road to the salvation of the soul. But in politics, bhakti or hero-worship is a sure road to degradation and to eventual dictatorship. India has moved away from constitutional democracy to populist democracy. Ambedkar is losing. Modi is winning.

Autocrats triumph in democratic countries

• Democratically elected leaders who triumph in elections often move towards autocracy by undermining checks and balances and consolidating power. In India, Indira Gandhi and Modi are examples of such phenomenon.
• The most common way for a democracy to collapse is through the actions of elected incumbent, not a coup or revolution.
• Hugo Chavez, 4 terms elected president of Venezula, dismantled institutions and expanded his authority. Vladimar Putin of Russia has concentrated so much power in his own hands he is known as 'elected dictator'. Erdogan of Turkey following the same path.
• Once in power, unscrupulous leaders manipulate political environment more likely that they are sure of winning future elections. Thus they gain stamp of democratic legitimacy even for actions that ultimately undermines democratic norms.
• Manipulation and winning elections has become a kind of exploit in the rules of political legitimacy to hack the system. People around the world have become attached to the idea that elections have become defacto requirement for government legitimacy. Winning the election through popular vote is treated as conveying moral and procedural validity.
• Election winner claims popular support for changes that undermines democratic institutions and stripping away checks and balances. Opponents who criticize runs the risk of looking anti-democratic trying to thwart the will of people expressed at ballot box.
• In some autocracies elections are 'farce' and in some they were 'genuine' contests though they may not be fair. Techniques like curtailing press freedom, limiting opposition's ability to campaign, and spreading misinformation enable incumbent to manipulate election outcomes without resorting to traceable techniques like ballot-stuffing.
• Chavez systematically revoked broadcast licenses while Putin cracked down on dissent and shutting off political opportunities for opposition. This kind of manipulation is not only powerful, it is also hard for opposition to prevent. This way, autocratic leader can avoid risk of losing votes while gaining legitimacy from its result.
• Often leaders who subvert democracy and whose electoral success is partly attributable to tilted playing field remain genuinely popular with much of the public. This contradicts democratic belief that elections are an effective check on tyranny. 
• What voting taketh away, voting can giveth right back. A habit of elections may also make it more difficult authoritarians consolidate their autocracies. This is strength and weakness of democracy.
• Leaders who benefit from polarisation and manipulation of political contests in their favor will eventually lose popularity. Then a tradition of regular tradition makes it easier for country to return back to democracy. One election is not a cure-all.

Twenty or even ten years ago, the possibility of a global democratic recession seemed impossible as states grew wealthier, they would develop larger middle classes who would push for ever-greater social, political, and economic freedoms. Human progress would spread democracy everywhere. The middle class rather than work to defeat these populist & authoritarian leaders at the ballot box or strengthen the institutions that could hold them in check, they have ended up supporting undemocratic measures.

In a democracy government should be afraid of their people.

Propaganda is to a democracy what the bludgeon is to a totalitarian state.

Democracy consists of choosing your dictators.

When threatened, the first thing a democracy gives up is democracy.

The best cure for the ills of democracy is more democracy.

To oppress the opposition is to assault the very foundation of democracy.

Almost all the above statements confirms Modi as an autocrat practicing authoritarianism. His relentless high decibel propaganda stating failures as successes is height of all the things. Democracy is not a simple thing: It’s a complex system of strong institutions and legal checks. Very few nations have mastered it fully. And sustaining it is a never-ending effort. 

Rising fuel prices indicates economy in mess?

• Govt of India is the biggest cheater of nation and Prime Minister and his gang (read Cabinet) are worst cheats. 
• During the past three years, crude oil prices in international markets have fallen to 1/3rd and more than 80% of it was knocked off by GOI in the form of increased excise duty.
• Every fortnight Oil Companies adjust their tariff matching international prices in Shastri Bhavan and North Block announces increased excise duty within an hour.
• Since few months fuel pricing was shifted from fortnightly to daily and consumers were to benefit from falling crude prices without any delay is what Arun Jaitley surreptitiously indicated to people of India. 
• But what happened is opposite and reduction in excise duty was conspicuously never mentioned as if it is irrelevant item. It becomes relevant only to lay hands on people's money and not otherwise. Today fuel prices in India are one of the highest in the world. Worse than Pakistan and Sri Lanka.
• Higher fuel prices resulted in higher commodities prices and cost of living is almost doubled, especially to workers and wage earners, during past three years of Modi regime while it was static throughout the world. Are these 'Achche din'?
• For all these non sense activities of driving economy into mess, Modi & Jaitley neither has people's approval nor sanction of Parliament and this issue was never in the agenda of Lok Sabha or Rajya Sabha. Gross misuse of Executive powers by PM & Ministers. Why can't they stick to sanctioned budget and follow standard expenditure procedures?
• What Modi and Co talk of 'bold fiscal reforms' and raising taxes any time they wish are contradictory to each other and none in world will believe our government. Our credibility is lost and who will come to our country with bags of dollars for investing?
• With these bunch of rogues and cheaters at the helm, there is no way we can progress as a nation.

In a democracy, winning election doesn't confer on winner

autocratic powers to do nonsense things. He must confine to 'rule of law'

Government must confine its expenses with in the legislature approved  budget, in letter and spirit. Only emergency expenses could be met with executive orders. Ditto for modifying tax rates. Today Budget and Parliament are just formalities. Govt does what ever it wants to do, albeit whimsically, without following any procedure or laws and answers none. No rule of law for governments. It is only for the people. Once in a while, courts strikes down some actions of governments giving resemblance of existence of democracy. Our FM Jaitley has announced several times before GST roll out that its revenue model is neutral meaning some prices may go up and most prices will come down and overall government doesn't get more or less. Then why all commodities prices have gone up including food and essential items? Any answer?

Defecating Outdoors

Nearly a billion people still defecate outdoors, world wide of which half of them live in India.The problem isn’t just a lack of toilets—it’s a lack of toilets that people want to use. The results in millions of deaths and disease-stunted lives.

• Defecating in the open is as old as humankind. 
• As long as population densities were low and the earth could safely absorb human wastes, it caused few problems.
• In rural India outdoor defecation is considered the manly thing to do. 
• Open defecation, as strange as this may sound to Westerners, offers young women a welcome break from their domestic confines and the oversight of in-laws and husbands.
• In rural northern India open defecation is more prevalent than in the south, where people express a keen preference for relieving themselves outdoors. It’s healthier, they feel. It’s natural and even virtuous. Many rural Indians consider even the most immaculate latrine religiously polluting; a toilet near the home seems more unclean to them than answering the call of nature 200 yards away. Flies, however, can travel more than a mile.
• Pit latrines have a huge drawback: They fill up. And rather than empty a pit with a shovel or hire a pump truck or easier still to dig a new latrine, rural Indians, especially in northern India, often opt to build no latrine at all.
• Privately constructed pit latrines were four to five times larger than the 50 cubic feet recommended by the WHO. That’s the size used all over the world and a family of six won’t fill it for five years.
• In recent years Dalits struggling for equality have begun to shun the sorts of jobs historically used to justify their oppression. And so the cost of emptying a pit latrine has risen as demand for the service has outstripped the supply of willing workers. Given this fraught social and economic landscape, some rural Indians save enough money to build a latrine pit so big (~1000 cft) they’ll never have to empty it. Or that most of them who could afford a simple latrine, choose to conduct their business in outdoors.
• Diseases caused by poor sanitation and unsafe water kill more children.
• In 2015 the United Nations called for an end to open defecation by 2030. 
• In India, open defecation got reduced from 75% to 44%, in the past 25 years.
• The health toll in India is staggering. Diarrhea kills many children under age five each year. Millions more struggle on with chronically infected intestines that don’t absorb nutrients and medicines well. Underweight women give birth to underweight babies, more vulnerable to infections, more likely to be stunted, and less able to benefit from vaccines. 
• In 2016, 39% of Indian children under age five were stunted.

Sanitation is more important than independence ... Mahatma Gandhi

Simple pit latrines though not fully sanitary are simplest, cheapest and are the most common form of latrines. Despite its disadvantages like odor and fly and mosquito nuisances they are promoted to discourage open defecation and other unsanitary practices. Although expensive, the flush latrines and sewers require running water, which many parts of India still don’t have. With education and affluence these things will vanish over time and in the meantime government should focus more on running water supply, sanitation and sewerage lines which are essential for flush latrines without which what ever is talked is just publicity and political gimmick.

Dynasty runs every where in India

Dynasty runs every where in India in all walks of life -- politics, businesses, professions, and so on. This undermines merit, the essence of democracy. Royal titles having been abolished but Indians seem to not given up on the idea of dynastic rule. About 30% of the current MPs are dynasts.

• Whether it’s politics, businesses, or bollywood, Indians seem to have trust in their off springs, irrespective of whether they might be deserving or not. The stunning example is Rahul Gandhi.
• Dynasts are a widespread phenomenon in Asia. Singapore is effectively run by the Lee family. In China, sons and daughters of leading party members are known as 'red princes' because of the influence they wield. With the Roosevelts, the Kennedys, and the Bush family, America can't afford to sneer at Indian dynasts.
• Dynasticism works in modern political systems because it appeals to notions of inherited charisma that help legitimize leadership succession and minimize organisational division. In India, dynasts do seem able to hold parties together. 
• The Nehru-Gandhi family is the most prominent political dynasty in the country with four generations of the family having ruled the country. The Nehru-Gandhi family is the keystone of the Congress party. Take them out and the Congress party collapses. There are several dynasties across party lines all over the country. There seems nothing objectionable in political power passing from parent to progeny. In India dynasties are serving the needs of the present times while preserving democracy by providing a measure of stability.
• Even big business houses are quite often family-run enterprises. The Birlas, the Tatas and the Ambanis, three names that signify wealth and entrepreneurship for Indians, have passed on the baton from generation to generation, rarely allowing outsiders to head their conglomerates.
• One of Sonia Gandhi’s fiercest critics, Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray slammed her and her family for running a “fiefdom” and then went ahead and did exactly the same thing. In 2004, Thackeray declared his son, a political novice, as leader of Siva Sena.
• The Bollywood is dotted with “star kids” hoping that their children will continue to capture the imagination of audiences, lack of talent notwithstanding. Some have made it and some have fallen by the wayside.
• Governments run by 'the dynasty' doled out more subsidies, spent more and indebted the economy more than by non-dynastic governments. Subsidies create distortions in asset use, dampen individual incentives, promoted rampant corruption and resulted in retarded economic growth & development of nation.
• The communists and the Jan Sangh (BJP) were participants in Indian elections from the very beginning. Yet, in comparison to the Congress, they are far less dynastic.
• America which shouts loudest about democracy could be described as a plutocracy, such is the wealth required to enter the political fray as a major player there.

If you are not a communist at 20 you have problem with your heart and 

if you are not a capitalist by 40 you have problem with your brain ... Sudha Murthy

In a democracy it is the 'will' of the people which is supreme. Dynasty or non-dynasty is immaterial, as long as the candidate ascends to position based on the principle of the 'rule of the law'. There is no bar on dynastic descendant to participate in the process of elections. Most politicians forget that what ever sense or nonsense they do as per their whims is not necessarily in the interest of people nor has their approval. Therefore the processes must be transparent and followed at all times, discretion must be exercised rarely or never, accountability at all times, and financial matters must always have prior legislature approval. To ensure these, institutions must be strong and independent and must not be trampled with. Unfortunately that is not happening and opposite is prevailing. Social media cramped with BJP trolls are spreading untruths always pro-BJP and anti-Congress sentiments where as the fact is that both are as bad as each other. Today very few are bothered about worst state of economy, unemployment, distressed agriculture, perilous banking sector etc but are happily engaged in dirty politics and chest thumping for nothing with trophy projects or achievements. The kind of money spent each day on government advertisements for self aggrandizement -- a small town or 100 villages could be modernized every day.

Post Nehru, Congress governments rule resulted in rampant corruption and unmanageable subsidies and political landscape got filled with corruption money, musclemen and criminals. However, non congress governments headed by Morarji Desai and VP Singh did no better or even worse. Vajpayee did nothing except building highways & roads and could not control communal riots especially in Gujarat. Congress governments succeeding these non congress catastrophic governments provided much needed stability and economic recovery. Today, Modi government's 3+ year rule there is nothing to boast off except relentless publicity with economic parameters worse than where he started in 2014 despite very low oil prices. Failed demonetization, mangled GST hurriedly rolled out impacted economy greatly. With PSU banks on the verge of collapse with nearly Rs.10 lakh crores of NPAs economic recovery prior to 2019 is unlikely. 

Therefore, dynasty or non-dynasty is not an issue as long as it has people's mandate. Under Modi administration several state governments patronized by Modi's BJP don't have electoral mandate but are in power with manipulation of numbers. Matter of shame in the largest democracy.