Congress MP Shashi Tharoor criticises dynastic politics, says politics has become a family business

New Delhi – Congress MP Shashi Tharoor has said that politics in India has increasingly turned into a family enterprise. Writing in an article for the international publication Project Syndicate, Tharoor observed, “As long as politics continues to revolve around families, the true purpose of democracy will never be fulfilled.”

Tharoor further stated :

1. It is time for India to move away from dynastic politics and adopt a merit-based system. This will require fundamental reforms such as legally defined eligibility for political positions, internal party elections, and greater voter awareness.

2. The legacy of the Gandhi–Nehru family is linked to the freedom movement, but it has also fostered the perception that “politics is a hereditary right of a few families.”

3. The Abdullah and Mufti families in Jammu and Kashmir have ruled for generations, continuing this culture of entitlement.

4. Tharoor’s article also cited several other examples of political succession — Naveen Patnaik in Odisha, Uddhav and Aaditya Thackeray in Maharashtra, Mulayam Singh and Akhilesh Yadav in Uttar Pradesh, Ram Vilas and Chirag Paswan in Bihar, Parkash Singh and Sukhbir Badal in Punjab, K. Chandrashekar Rao and his family in Telangana, and the Karunanidhi–M. K. Stalin lineage in Tamil Nadu.

BJP welcomes Tharoor’s remarks

BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla said, “Tharoor has written from the heart. His comment that the Gandhi family turned Indian politics into a family business is absolutely correct. He has emerged as a courageous leader, unafraid to challenge Rahul Gandhi, who continues to carry forward the dynasty’s political legacy.”

Editorial Perspective

It is because of dynastic politics that India has never truly prospered; instead, every sphere has suffered immense damage. The only solution is a welfare-oriented Hindu Rashtra.