In an ideal society, education is supposed to be the great equalizer. People pursue schooling, higher education, and specialized training so that they may build meaningful careers, contribute to national development, and live lives of dignity. For generations, middle-class families in India have believed wholeheartedly in this promise. They have sacrificed their savings, sold land, taken loans, and endured countless hardships only to ensure that their children study in good schools, top universities, or reputed educational institutes. The expectation is simple: study hard → crack exams → get a good job.
This linear pathway has been the guiding principle for millions. And yes, a few exceptional students do crack the toughest competitive exams. A few secure admissions to premier institutions. A few get government jobs after years of rigorous preparation, interviews, and psychological tests. For the vast majority, however, this journey is filled with struggle, uncertainty, disappointment, and endless attempts. Out of tens of thousands of candidates, only a few dozen secure a seat or job. The competition is brutal. But despite the odds, most Indians still trust the same old formula: hard work and merit will eventually give results.
But over the years, reality has taken a very different turn. A new formula has silently replaced the old belief system — a formula far more effective, far more predictable, and shockingly widespread. This new rule of the game is simple:
“Lick politicians’ shoes, and you get a job.”
In other words, political loyalty has become the fastest, surest, and easiest route to secure government employment — completely bypassing exams, interviews, and merit. This corrosive system has grown so deeply and openly that in many places, it is no longer considered corruption; it is considered “normal.” What was once whispered secretly is now practiced proudly.
This essay explores how political favoritism has replaced meritocracy in India, how villages and towns have become strongholds of political patronage networks, and how ordinary people—despite their education—are forced into a humiliating dependence on politicians for basic livelihood.
The Original Pathway: Education as the Ladder to Success
For decades, middle-class families in India have worshipped education. Whether rich or poor, families send their children to the best possible institutions they can afford. They dream big. They think:
- My child will become a doctor or an engineer.
- My child will get a respectable government job.
- My child will live a dignified life.
To achieve this, students often relocate to big cities like Kota, Delhi, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Patna, and Pune. They join coaching institutes, some of which charge fees that could feed a family for a year. Parents take loans, mortgage land, and work overtime so that their children can get the “best shot” at competitive exams.
Once the child finishes the degree, the next hurdle begins:
entrance exams, preliminary tests, mains, interviews, group discussions, medical tests, document verification, and a long waiting period before final selection.
The process is exhausting and unfairly long, but people accept it as the “standard procedure” because they believe it is the only legitimate pathway.
But increasingly, this belief is being shattered. While lakhs study and prepare honestly, a minority gets jobs through a different route altogether — not through merit, but through loyalty and political flattery.
The Parallel Pathway: Licking Politicians’ Shoes
Today, in many parts of India, a second route to getting government jobs runs silently parallel to the merit-based system. This pathway involves:
- Becoming a loyal worker of a political party
- Attending every rally, shouting slogans, and defending the party online
- Helping the party in elections
- Becoming a personal servant to local leaders
- Doing small-time “goonda” work for the party
- Worshipping political leaders as gods
- Touching their feet, praising them publicly, glorifying them shamelessly
For such people, government jobs often arrive without exams, without interviews, and without verification. Their loyalty becomes their qualification. Their devotion becomes their marksheet. Their political service becomes their degree.
This is the new formula — the new “merit.”
And the scariest part is: it works.
Politicians’ Relatives: Automatically Qualified
One common observation across rural and urban India is that politicians’ relatives appear to be magically qualified for government jobs.
No matter:
- what their marks were,
- whether they ever appeared for exams,
- whether they ever prepared,
- or even whether they ever attended school properly—
They still secure positions in:
- police departments,
- basic education boards,
- Revenue offices,
- panchayat offices,
- municipal corporations,
- public works departments,
- state secretariat,
and many other sectors.
It is almost as if holding a political surname is itself a degree.
If someone’s father, uncle, aunt, or cousin is a politician or a prominent party worker, their chances of getting a stable government job skyrocket. And this trend is visible everywhere — from small villages to big districts, from state jobs to central institutions.
Village-Level Politics: A Miniature of National Corruption
Indian villages today reflect the same political power structure seen at the national level. Villagers openly divide themselves into camps based on political allegiance. If Party A dominates the region, its supporters hold all the positions of privilege and influence. If Party B wins the next election, the entire local ecosystem changes hands.
This political warfare shapes:
- Who gets jobs
- Who gets land deeds
- whose children get scholarships
- whose shops get licenses
- Who receives government schemes
- Who gets loans approved
- Who gets contracts for construction work
In my own village, I have seen die-hard supporters of Party A enjoying government jobs despite being academically average. Many have never cleared a competitive exam in their life, yet they proudly serve as school teachers, revenue officers, and police constables.
Former village pradhans have placed:
- their sons in the state police,
- their wives in primary schools,
- their relatives in Anganwadi centers,
- and their loyal supporters in various low-level government jobs.
The interview process, in such cases, becomes nothing more than a formality — a ritual to make corruption look legitimate.
Meanwhile, students who spend years preparing honestly continue to write exam after exam, unable to break the cycle.
Political Loyalty as Employment Guarantee
In many states, the formula has become very simple:
Support the ruling party → get rewarded with a government job.
Political parties treat loyal workers as long-term investments. They know these people will:
- attend rallies
- manage booths during elections
- mobilize crowds
- silence critics
- promote propaganda
- control public sentiment
- and perform physical intimidation when required
In exchange, they are promised jobs, contracts, or protection.
A vicious cycle forms:
- A political party gives jobs to loyal supporters.
- These supporters grow stronger and defend the party unconditionally.
- Party uses their manpower to win future elections.
- The supporters get further benefits and more jobs for their relatives.
Meanwhile, honest and educated youth remain unemployed.
This manipulation of public employment systems robs thousands of deserving candidates of their future.
The Middle Class: Permanently Stuck in Limbo
Middle-class families, who believe in education and merit, suffer the most. They encourage their children to:
- study harder,
- take more coaching,
- burn their nights preparing,
- sit in multiple exams every year,
- stay away from home for years,
- and sacrifice their youth in the hope of one stable job.
But when the results come, they find that posts were handed out to someone who spent the last year sitting in a politician’s office washing tea cups or sticking posters on walls.
This creates:
- hopelessness,
- anger,
- depression,
- self-doubt,
- and a sense of betrayal.
The message being sent to the youth is poisonous:
“Don’t study. Just join a political party and lick boots.”
When a nation sends such a message to its future generations, it is already on the path of moral and intellectual decline.
High-Level Jobs: The Rulers’ Playground
One might argue that such corruption happens only at low-level or village-level jobs. But the reality is much darker.
The higher you go, the worse it gets.
In state corporations, development authorities, and even some national organizations, key positions are routinely occupied by:
- politicians’ children,
- their relatives,
- their trusted lobbyists,
- their fundraisers,
- their business partners,
- or their party cadres.
Do these individuals need jobs?
Of course not.
They are already born into wealth and privilege. But government positions give them power, and power allows them to run state machinery as if it were their private property.
It is not uncommon to see:
- ministers’ sons heading youth organizations,
- daughters becoming chairpersons of cultural bodies,
- relatives controlling university boards,
- and loyal party workers getting posts in commissions and councils.
Jobs are no longer about qualifications — they are about maintaining political dominance.
Why Compete Then? Why Study At All?
This is the question many frustrated students ask themselves:
- Why did I study?
- Why did I prepare for 5 years?
- Why did I spend my parents’ savings?
- Why did I believe in merit?
When government jobs turn into political gifts, when education becomes irrelevant, when interviews become formalities, and when exams become jokes, the entire nation loses its foundation.
Merit is replaced by sycophancy.
Hard work is replaced by flattery.
Qualifications are replaced by loyalty.
Knowledge is replaced by manipulation.
This is not just an employment crisis — it is a civilizational crisis.
Consequences of a Politically Compromised Workforce
When government departments are filled with politically recruited people, the long-term impact is catastrophic.
1. Decline in Quality of Public Services
Unqualified individuals cannot:
- teach properly in schools,
- manage administration efficiently,
- handle public disputes fairly,
- or deliver social schemes responsibly.
2. Increase in Corruption
Those who get jobs through political connections repay politicians through bribes, commissions, and favors.
3. Demoralization of Talented Youth
Brilliant students lose hope and often migrate abroad, worsening brain drain.
4. Collapse of Trust in Government Institutions
When people see corruption everywhere, they stop believing in justice, fairness, and democracy.
5. Strengthening of Political Mafias
Political parties become private employment agencies, turning citizens into dependent puppets.
The Big Truth: Politicians Need Loyal Workers, Not Educated Citizens
Why would politicians prefer educated, independent, critical thinkers?
Such people:
- question unconstitutional behavior
- demand accountability
- expose corruption
- resist exploitation
But uneducated, unemployed, dependent youth will always:
- shout slogans
- attend rallies
- circulate propaganda
- do the party’s dirty work
Thus, the system is intentionally designed to reward loyalty and punish merit.
Politicians don’t need educated citizens — they need followers.
Born to Rule vs Born to be Ruled
When we ask whether politicians’ children “need jobs,” it becomes clear that the answer is no. They don’t need a salary. They want positions of authority, not employment.
They see government institutions as inherited property — family assets passed down through generations. Meanwhile, the common public is seen as labor to be ruled, exploited, and controlled.
Politicians’ children are born rulers.
Ordinary people are born to be ruled.
This mindset has completely destroyed the meaning of public service.
Conclusion: A Nation in Deep Trouble
When the only reliable path to a job becomes licking politicians’ shoes, it is a national tragedy. It means:
- Meritocracy is dead,
- Education has lost value,
- youth are directionless,
- Corruption has become a culture,
- And democracy has lost its soul.
India cannot progress on such a foundation. No nation can. When jobs turn into political rewards instead of academic achievements, entire generations fall into hopelessness.
If we truly want a prosperous, fair, and progressive India, then jobs must return to classrooms, not party offices. Students must return to libraries, not political rallies. And the youth must be empowered through education, not enslaved through political dependence.
Until then, the cruel formula will continue:
“Forget studying, forget merit — lick politicians’ shoes and your future is secure.”
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