![]() She is the daughter of Satyajit Singh Majithia, who was the deputy defence minister during Jawahar Lal Nehru’s regime. If his sister married a Kairon, Sukhbir married Har Simrat Kaur, a Majithia. Adesh Pratap was in Congress, but later joined SAD (B) because of his father-in-law Badal. About four decades later, things haven’t really changed. These four alliances in the 60s were enough to ensure that power would remain with these families for decades to come. Both Kairons and Badals are Dhillons by caste. But then some marriages out of political compulsion took place - four of them over a period of five years - Capt Amarinder Singh and Simranjit Singh Mann tied a nuptial knot to sisters, HS Brar with Pratap Singh Kairon’s niece, while Kairon’s grandson Adesh Pratap married Parkash Singh Badal’s daughter. Till then, most of these families - Kairons, Badals, Majithias, Brars, and the Patiala royal house were kind of acquaintances. However, later he joined Congress in 1929 and was sworn in as CM in 1956. Pratap Singh Kairon, the first chief minister of Punjab came back from Michigan University to join Shiromani Akali Dal. At a time when Parkash Singh Badal and Capt Amarinder Singh are fighting it out, it would be interesting to know how it all started. Thus, four decades have passed, but the state is yet to get a chief minister who is not from one of these families. As years passed by Punjab politics took the shape of dynasty rule of these few families, with most of the politicians belonging to these families ensuring that the next generation is initiated into politics as well. ![]() To get closer to the coveted chair of power, many of them switched loyalties and thereby their affiliations to political parties from time to time. ![]() CHANDIGARH: It’s a story of six families - related to each other - who ruled or as some would say ‘ruined’ Punjab.
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