Who is India’s Hosni Mubarak?

There are many politicians in India who can claim to be an Indian Hosni Mubarak. Mr. Mubarak has tried to present his younger son Gamal Mumbarak as his successor - this alone raises the stake for hundreds of Indian politicians, but most notably Mr. Karunanidhi, who has fathered several children from several wives, and has charted a secure political future for almost all of them. CV Thomas, facing corruption charges and refusing to quit his post, also reflects the virtue of not quitting despite repeated requests.

But to me, the winner of ‘Who is India’s Hosni Mubarak’ contest is Karanataka’s CM, Yeddyurappa. Mr. Yeddyurappa has tried to secure the political future of his children – one of his many children is a Member of Parliament, and Mr. Yeddyurappa is alleged to have eased the purchase of hundreds of acres of land for his several children. He has faced grave corruption charges, braved internal dissent,  and has had to overcome at least two attempts in one year to topple his government. In all these events, his response has been Mubarak-like: I won’t quit. When shamed by a governor sanction for a permission for public prosecution, his response was to back a public Bandh that crippled public life across the state. And recently, he tried to assuage the demands of his opponents by announcing a surprise retirement plan from state politics – a la Mr. Mubarak, who wants to quit by September 2011.

Perhaps we should call Mr. Mubarak the Yeddyurappa of the Arab World.

PS: One thing that sets Mr. Yeddyurappa apart from Mr. Mubarak his is his ability to provide comic relief. Recently, he alleged his detractors were practicing acts of black magic against him. This, from the head of India’s most technologically advance state.