Tharoor: Dynastic politics threat to Indian democracy

NEW DELHI: Congress MP Shashi Tharoor is set to rile Congress again, this time employing BJP's pet weapon against the party. Calling "dynastic politics" a "grave threat" to Indian democracy, he said it is time that India traded "dynasty for meritocracy".

Tharoor said quality of governance suffers when political power is determined by lineage rather than the ability or grassroots engagement.Reports quoted Tharoor as having written an article for international media organisation Project Syndicate, in which he said while the Nehru-Gandhi family is associated with Congress, dynastic succession prevails across the political spectrum, naming parties BJD, Akali Dal, SP, LJP, Shiv Sena, BRS, National Conference, among others.Though Tharoor has illustrated his point through regional parties, the remarks are likely to give another opening to governing BJP which uses "dynasty" as a barb against the Congress leadership of the Gandhi family. He has lately been at loggerheads with Congress after taking a divergent position on Modi govt's diplomatic outreach over Operation Sindoor. There was no response from Congress to Tharoor's remarks.

According to PTI, in the article 'Indian Politics Are a Family Business', Tharoor said for decades, one family has towered over politics. He said the influence of Nehru-Gandhi dynasty - including independent India's first PM Nehru, PMs Indira and Rajiv, 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 lamented that leadership selection processes are often opaque, with decisions made by a small clique or even a single neta, and figures with little interest in rocking the boat. As a result, he argued, nepotism generally trumps meritocracy.