senior Congress chief Shashi Tharoor stated dynastic politics throughout the political spectrum poses a “grave menace” to Indian democracy and asserted that it’s excessive time India traded “dynasty for meritocracy”.
He stated that when political energy is decided by lineage quite than capacity, dedication, or grassroots engagement, the standard of governance suffers.
In an article for worldwide media group Undertaking Syndicate, the Thiruvananthapuram MP identified that whereas the Nehru-Gandhi household is related to the Congress, dynastic succession prevails throughout the political spectrum.
In the meantime, the BJP latched on to Mr. Tharoor’s remarks, calling it a “very insightful piece” on how Indian politics has turn into a household enterprise.
“He (Tharoor) has launched a direct assault on India’s nepo child Rahul and chota nepo child Tejaswi Yadav!” BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla stated.
Mr. Tharoor’s remarks come weeks after a row over his feedback on the India-Pakistan battle and the diplomatic outreach following the Pahalgam assault. The feedback had been at variance with the Congress stance, and plenty of celebration leaders took a swipe at him, questioning his intentions.
‘Nepotism trumps meritocracy’
Within the article titled ‘Indian Politics Are a Household Enterprise’, Mr. Tharoor stated that for many years, one household has towered over Indian politics. He stated the affect of the Nehru-Gandhi dynasty — together with unbiased India’s first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, Prime Ministers Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi, and present opposition chief Rahul Gandhi and MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra — is certain up with the historical past of India’s battle for freedom.
“Nevertheless it has additionally cemented the concept political management is usually a birthright. This concept has penetrated Indian politics throughout each celebration, in each area, and at each stage,” Mr. Tharoor stated.
He stated Indian political events are largely personality-driven, with just a few exceptions.
Management choice processes are sometimes opaque, with selections made by a small clique or perhaps a single chief, figures with little curiosity in rocking the boat, stated Mr. Tharoor, who himself unsuccessfully contested Congress presidential elections in 2022.
In consequence, nepotism typically trumps meritocracy, he added.
Declaring that dynastic succession prevails throughout the political spectrum, Mr. Tharoor stated that after the passing of Biju Patnaik, his son Naveen received his father’s vacant seat within the Lok Sabha.
The Maharashtra-based Shiv Sena’s founder Bal Thackeray handed the mantle to his son Uddhav, whose personal son Aditya is ready visibly within the wings, he stated.
“The identical goes for Samajwadi Celebration founder Mulayam Singh Yadav, a former Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, whose son Akhilesh Yadav later served in the identical publish; Akhilesh is now an MP and the president of the celebration. In Bihar, Lok Janshakti Celebration chief Ram Vilas Paswan was succeeded by his son Chirag Paswan,” he stated, citing extra examples of political dynasties.
Past the Indian “heartland”, Jammu and Kashmir has been led by three generations of Abdullahs, with the principal opposition celebration dominated by two generations of Muftis, he stated.
“In Punjab, the Shiromani Akali Dal, lengthy commanded by Parkash Singh Badal, has been taken over by his son Sukhbir. Telangana is at the moment witnessing a battle for succession between the son and the daughter of the Bharat Rashtra Samithi’s founder, Ok. Chandrasekhara Rao. In Tamil Nadu, the late M Karunanidhi’s household controls the ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam,” he stated.
Not simply in India
Mr. Tharoor additionally argued that this phenomenon isn’t restricted to a handful of outstanding households however is quite woven deeply into the material of Indian governance, from village councils to the best echelons of Parliament.
“To be honest, such dynastic politics are practiced throughout the Indian subcontinent,” he stated, citing examples of the Bhuttos and Sharifs in Pakistan, the Sheikh and Zia households in Bangladesh, and the Bandaranaikes and the Rajapaksas in Sri Lanka.
Mr. Tharoor asserted that dynastic politics poses a grave menace to Indian democracy.
“When political energy is decided by lineage quite than capacity, dedication, or grassroots engagement, the standard of governance suffers. Drawing from a smaller expertise pool is rarely advantageous, however it’s particularly problematic when candidates’ fundamental qualification is their surname,” he stated.
The truth is, provided that members of political dynasties are prone to be insulated from the challenges confronted by peculiar folks, they’re usually significantly ill-equipped to reply successfully to their constituents’ wants, Mr. Tharoor stated.
“It’s excessive time that India traded dynasty for meritocracy. This may require elementary reforms, from imposing legally mandated time period limits to requiring significant inner celebration elections, along with a concerted effort to teach and empower the citizens to decide on leaders primarily based on advantage,” Mr. Tharoor stated.
So long as Indian politics stay a household enterprise, the true promise of democracy — ‘authorities of the folks, by the folks, for the folks’ — can’t be totally realized, he stated.
BJP hits out at Gandhi household
Citing Mr. Tharoor’s article, one other BJP spokesperson, CR Kesavan, attacked the Gandhi household.
“Former Congress Minister and CWC (Congress Working Committee) member Shashi Tharoor’s article on dynastic politics could be inferred as a scathing assault on the Nehru-Gandhi dynasty. MR. Tharoor laments about how the Nehru dynasty main as much as Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra has cemented the concept political management is usually a birthright,” he stated.
Printed – November 04, 2025 02:53 am IST