India, Oct. 9 -- India's democracy is facing a slow, deliberate suffocation-not by authoritarian decrees, but by the rise of dynastic politics disguised as social representation. What began as a democratic dream to empower the underrepresented has morphed into a vicious cycle of nepotism, entitlement, and political inheritance. Across every major party, from the Congress and BJP to regional behemoths like the DMK, RJD, SP, NCP, and Shiv Sena, the new rule of Indian politics is simple: power must stay within the family. What was once a republic of citizens is degenerating into a republic of surnames.

Let's not romanticize this with phrases like "political legacy." Legacy is what a leader leaves behind for the nation. What we are witnessin...