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The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Monday launched a scathing attack against the Congress and the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) after Congress MP Shashi Tharoor described dynastic politics as a “serious threat” to Indian democracy.
Taking a dig at Congress and RJD, Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan said that Tharoor has written this article on the basis of his ‘experience’.
Pradhan said, “I welcome Shashi Tharoor’s statement. Whatever he said should be true. He must have said it based on his experience. His comment will obviously hurt the Congress party and RJD because their politics is limited to one family. They cannot think outside their family.”
Tharoor has criticized “dynastic” politics in India, calling it a “serious threat” to democracy, and said it is “high time” that the country move towards “meritocracy”.
In an article titled ‘Indian politics is a family business’ on the Project Syndicate portal, Tharoor called “dynastic politics a threat to Indian democracy”, and argued that India should move towards “merit-based leadership”, a view that could be seen as a dig at the Congress high command and its allies like the Samajwadi Party (SP), Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and Shiv Sena (UBT).
Tharoor said that Lok Janshakti Party leader Ram Vilas Paswan has been replaced by his son Chirag Paswan in NDA.
From Nehru to Priyanka
With just two days left for Bihar Assembly elections, Tharoor wrote that, from India’s first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru to Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi and current leaders Rahul Gandhi and MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, the idea has been reinforced that leadership in Indian politics can be a “birthright”.
BJP national spokesperson Shehzad Poonawala said the article correctly highlights how the Gandhi family turned Indian politics into a “family business”.
Speaking to ANI, Poonawalla said, “A very insightful article has been written by Dr Tharoor on how Indian politics has become a family business and in the opening of that article he has pointed out how the first family of the Congress party, the Gandhi-Vadra dynasty, is responsible for reinforcing this negative idea that political position and power can be a matter of birthright.”
Poonawala said that Tharoor’s statement will make RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi uncomfortable.
He further said, “Tejashwi Yadav and Rahul Gandhi may take his article very personally… Dr Tharoor should be appreciated, but now he will receive a series of bad words and insults from the Kerala Congress and other leaders.”
How did Congress leaders react?
The Congress party claimed that dynastic politics existed beyond party lines and also praised the leadership of the Nehru-Gandhi family.
Congress leader Udit Raj said the influence of dynasty politics is pervasive in all spheres of life in India, including politics, business, judiciary and the film industry, adding that this trend limits opportunities to a few select families.
“Dynastic attitudes exist in almost every field in India, a doctor’s son becomes a doctor, a businessman’s child remains in business, and politics is no exception. Also, if a politician has a criminal background, it reflects the reality of our society. Election tickets are often distributed on the basis of caste and family,” Raj told news agency ANI.
“From Naidu to Pawar, from DMK to Mamata, from Mayawati to Amit Shah’s son, there are many such examples. The disadvantage is that opportunities are limited to families only. The impact of dynasty rule is not limited to politics; it extends to bureaucracy, judiciary and even the film industry,” he said.
Congress MP Pramod Tiwari defends Nehru-Gandhi family, says leadership comes from “merit”
“Leadership always comes from competence. Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru was the most capable Prime Minister of this country… Indira Gandhi proved herself by sacrificing her life. Rajiv Gandhi served this country by sacrificing his life. So, if one talks about the Gandhi family as a dynasty, then which other family in India had the sacrifice, dedication and competence that this family had? Was it the BJP?” The Congress MP said.
Shashi Tharoor, Lok Sabha MP from Thiruvananthapuram, sparked a controversy when he wrote, “For decades, one family has dominated Indian politics. The influence of the Nehru-Gandhi dynasty – which includes 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 linked to the history of India’s independence struggle. But it has also reinforced the idea that political leadership “Could be a birthright.”
Earlier, Tharoor was questioned by Congress leaders for praising Prime Minister Narendra Modi and criticizing US President Donald Trump following the visit of the Tharoor-led delegation to the US, Panama, Guyana, Brazil and Colombia following Operation Sindoor.
The Congress leader had written an article saying, PM Modi’s ‘energy, dynamism and willingness to engage remains a major asset for India on the global stage, but deserves more support.’
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