The silent entry of a son into politics after the demise of his father is nothing new and if one goes by the old practice of passing the baton of responsibility is within the norms of the society. The entry of cinematographer Tasaduq Mufti, son of former Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, presumably is following the same norms of transition. This would be the second son rise in Jammu and Kashmir’s political arena. Earlier it was Omar Abdullah of National Conference who took over the mantel from father Farooq Abdullah who in fact inherited power from his father Sheikh Abdullah. Indian politics has numerous cases of inheritance and family transitions and the way the junior Mufti is conducting independent meetings with various stake holders looks as if the initiation work is on to baptise him in politics. The tradition of keeping legacy within families paved smooth way for entry in politics for Rahul Gandhi son of Congress President Sonia Gandhi, Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, Akhilesh Yadav son of Mulayam Singh Yadav, two sons of Lalu Yadav namely Tej Pratap Yadav and Tejashvi Yadav. In Kashmir tradition dates back to entry of Farooq Abdullah into politics after the demise of his father Sheikh Muhammad Abdullah and later entry of his son Omar Abdullah in Kashmir politics. If some old horses are to be believed Mufti Muhammad Syed never voted for entry of Tasaduq in to Kashmir politics as wanted his son to choose any other profession but not politics for some unknown reasons. That was the vision of father who had very long innings with various political parties and situations. Mehbooba had expressed unwillingness in last December and made it clear that she was “not” willing to take up the job.”No I don’t want to,” was her reply to a question about whether she would be soon taking over the helm of affairs in the militancy-hit State by a TV channel. Thus she has her own reasons to push her brother into politics.
