New Delhi: Senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor said dynastic politics across the political spectrum poses a “grave threat” to Indian democracy and asserted that it is high time India traded “dynasty for meritocracy”.
He said that when political power is determined by lineage rather than ability, commitment, or grassroots engagement, the quality of governance suffers. In an article for international media organisation Project Syndicate, the Thiruvananthapuram MP pointed out that while the Nehru-Gandhi family is associated with the Congress, dynastic succession prevails across the political spectrum.
Meanwhile, the BJP latched on to Tharoor’s remarks, calling it a “very insightful piece” on how Indian politics has become a family business.
“He (Tharoor) has launched a direct attack on India’s nepo kid Rahul and chota nepo kid Tejaswi Yadav!” BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla said.
Tharoor’s remarks come weeks after a row over his comments on the India-Pakistan conflict and the diplomatic outreach following the Pahalgam attack. The comments were at variance with the Congress stance, and many party leaders took a swipe at him, questioning his intentions.
In the article titled ‘Indian Politics Are a Family Business’, Tharoor said that for decades, one family has towered over Indian politics. He said the influence of the Nehru-Gandhi dynasty -- including independent India’s first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru, prime ministers Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi, and current opposition leader Rahul Gandhi and MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra -- is bound up with the history of India’s struggle for freedom.
“But it has also cemented the idea that political leadership can be a birthright. This idea has penetrated Indian politics across every party, in every region, and at every level,” Tharoor said.
He said Indian political parties are largely personality-driven, with a few exceptions.
Leadership selection processes are often opaque, with decisions made by a small clique or even a single leader, figures with little interest in rocking the boat, said Tharoor, who himself unsuccessfully contested Congress presidential elections in 2022.