At last a politician in his own right

Akhilesh has a robust sense of humour, has developed a thick skin, and, now, a streak of ruthlessness that he keeps carefully sheathed

Everyone talks about dynasties. No one speaks about the actual relationship between a politician father and his politician son. The son of a senior politician in Uttar Pradesh once recalled poignantly that he hardly saw his father when he was growing up. During a rare visit to the village, “Babuji” spotted him, patted him on the head, marvelled at how much he’d grown, and asked awkwardly when he would go to class 7. “I’m already in class 7,” the son replied timidly, realising for the first time that his father had no idea how old he was. Rashtriya Lok Dal