NEW DELHI: Congress leader Shashi Tharoor’s fresh call to end “dynastic politics” and move toward “meritocracy” has drawn sharp reactions from within his own party.Congress MP Pramod Tiwari said that former Prime Ministers Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi from the Nehru family sacrificed their lives. He also asked Tharoor to name any other family in India which had the dedication and ability like the Nehru family.“Leadership always comes from merit. Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru was the most capable Prime Minister of this country. Indira Gandhi proved herself by sacrificing her life,” Tiwari said.“Rajiv Gandhi served this country by sacrificing his life. So, if someone talks about the Gandhi family as a dynasty, then which other family in India had the sacrifice, dedication, and ability that this family possessed? Was it BJP?” he asked.Congress leader Rashid Alvi also interjected Tharoor and said that the public makes decisions in a democracy and no one can be restricted from contesting elections because their father was an MP.“The public makes the decisions in a democracy. You cannot impose a restriction that says you cannot contest elections because your father was an MP. This is happening in every field. What way will you find this?” Alvi said.Congress leader Udit Raj said that dynastic approach is not limited to politics and spreads across sectors in the country.“A doctor’s son becomes a doctor, a businessman’s child continues 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 along caste and family lines,” Udit Raj told news agency ANI.This comes after Tharoor, in an article, pointed out that while the Nehru-Gandhi family is associated with the Congress, dynastic succession prevails across the political spectrum.He said that when political power is determined by lineage rather than ability, commitment, or grassroots engagement, the quality of governance suffers.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.Meanwhile, Bharatiya Janata Party seized 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 relationship with the Congress leadership has been under strain since he contested the party president election against Mallikarjun Kharge.The friction reportedly intensified when his name did not appear on the list of Congress leaders suggested for the Union government’s Operation Sindoor outreach.Despite this, Prime Minister Narendra Modi later invited Tharoor to lead a delegation to the United States and other countries in the Americas. Tharoor’s public statements, including those interpreted as favorable towards the Prime Minister, have also caused discomfort within the Congress.The rift came into sharper focus following his recent remarks and social media posts that appeared to challenge the party’s leadership.
