The Six season Netflix series depicting popular history about the life and times of Queen Elizabeth II in a dramatised version, created by Peter Morgan has been immensely popular world over. With stellar performances and taut screenplay, the series benefits from the immense interest the British Royal family ignites in the minds of people across globe.
While watching the Crown and the internal conflicts of the royal family, one can find parallels in domestic Indian politics. In bits and parts, the Crown can serve as an easy explainer to the outside world about the domestic Indian Politics.
Charles and Diana As The Indian Voters
The battle royale between Charles and Diana is a perfect example of popularity among the contemporary Indian voters for Congress and BJP affiliations. Congress, as Charles the heir apparent, born to rule – is pitted against the media savvy and extremely charismatic Diana of BJP. As the “people’s princess” says famously in that Martin Bashir BBC interview, ” There were three of us in the marriage, so it was a bit crowded”, the Camilla Parker-Bowles is the perceived minority appeasement by Congress in the context of Indian politics.
Charles as Congress is identified the relic, the past, the no longer relevant. Diana as BJP can be seen taking on the mighty, leaving no stone unturned in the quest of destabilising the establishment, making outrageous decisions in making allies as diverse as Hasmat Khan and Dodi Al Fayed.
The “Establishment” As The Congress :
The queen herself is a metaphor for Congress, the grand old party. Stuck in the past, unable to come to terms with emerging ground realities, attached to the values no longer relatable by the most of the populace and decreasing in stature by each passing day.
It has an enourmously illustrious past and it is captive of that past glory, willfully oblivious to the numerous skeletons eager to tumble out of the closet. Just like the Royal house in the Crown, Congress glosses over the internal squabbles with deep trauma to put up a rosy picture standing in the balcony of Buckingham palace, waving at the onlookers. The Sachin Pilot – Gehlot saga is reminiscent of the Lilibet-Margot, two royal sisters going by the official names of Elisabeth and Margaret.
Mahmud And Dodi Al Fayed as Maneka And Varun Gandhi:
As depicted in the television series and most likely highly fictionalized characterizations of Egyptian millionaires Mahmud “Mou-Mou” Al Fayed and his artistically inclined son Dodi Al Fayed can be juxtaposed as mother-son duo of Maneka and Varun Gandhi in the context of Indian politics.
Mahmud Al Fayed, the father is shown in the series as the one pushing his son Dodi to cosy up to Diana, the estranged wife of future King of England. Dodi has to succumb to the pressure and ambitions of his father, despite his heart being elsewhere to the point of getting married in few weeks.
Varun Gandhi, a scion of Nehru-Gandhi family and cousin of Rahul Gandhi is a BJP MP along with his mother who had personal acrimonious relations with her in laws, the Nehru-Gandhi family. The frequent utterances and the overall personality of Varun Gandhi give away the impression that he is a reluctant BJP supporter. Time and again, his veiled criticism of BJP politics surfaces. However, he is connected to the power centre BJP, one might presume, more at the behest of her mother than with personal conviction in the ideology.
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